I 


THEY  CALLED  ACROSS  MERRILY  TO  EACH  OTHER 


A   JAPANESE 
BLOSSOM 


by 
ONOTO  WATANNA 

ILLUSTRATED   BY 

L.  W.   ZIEGLER 


NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 
HARPER  &  BROTHERS 
PUBLISHERS  M-C-M-V-I 


Copyright,  1906,  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS. 

All  rights  reserved. 
Published  October,  1906. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

'THEY  CALLED  ACROSS  MERRILY  TO 

EACH    OTHER" Frontispiece 

'MARION  SAT  ON  A  GIGANTIC  MOSS- 
GROWN  ROCK,  LOOKING  .  ./AT 
THE  CHILDREN  IN  THE  FAMILY 
POND'! Facingp.  52 

'THE  LITTLE  WAITRESS    BROUGHT 

HER  SAMISEN,  AND  .  .  .  BEGAN 

TO  PLAY  AND  SING".     .     .     . 
'HE   SEIZED  HER  HAND  SUDDENLY 

IN  HIS  OWN  AND  FELL  ON  HIS 

KNEES  BEFORE  HER".    . 


A   JAPANESE   BLOSSOM 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 


HTHE  children  sat  in  a  little  semi- 
1  circle  about  their  grandmother, 
listening  intently  as  she  read  to  them 
the  last  letter  from  their  father  in 
America.  Ever  since  they  could  re- 
member, his  business  as  a  tea  mer- 
chant had  taken  him  away  from 
Japan  on  long  visits  to  the  foreign 
countries.  His  latest  absence  had 
continued  for  three  years  now,  and 
little  Juji — born  a  short  time  after 
his  departure — had  never  seen  him. 
As  the  grandmother  finished  the  let- 
ter, the  children  instinctively  looked 


^«4-*«' 

r*j 

JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

first  of  all  at  Juji,  sitting  there  in 
placid  indifference,  stolidly  sucking 
his  thumb.  Juji  had  ceased  to  be 
the  baby  of  the  Kurukawa  family. 
Afar  off  in  America  a  new,  strange 
baby  had  been  born,  and  had  taken 
the  place  of  Juji,  just  as  its  moth- 
er one  year  before  had  taken  the 
ace  of  Juji's  mother,  who  was 
dead. 

When  the  old  grandmother,  with 
whom  they  made  their  home,  had 
gently  broken  the  news  to  the  chil- 
dren that  their  father  had  taken 
a  new  wife  from  the  daughters  of 
America,  she  had  impressed  upon 
them  the  seriousness  of  their  duty 
to  their  new  parent.  They  must 
love  her  as  a  mother,  revere  her  as 
their  father's  wife,  remember  her 
with  their  father  in  their  prayers, 
and  endeavor  to  learn  those  things 

which  would  be  pleasing  to  her. 
fj\t  >   '    ^ 

jT-k 


• 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

Gozo,  who  was  the  eldest  of  the 
children — he  was  seventeen  years  of 
age — set  his  little  brothers  and  sisters 
a  bad  example.  He  grew  red  with 
anger,  allowing  himself  to  be  so  over- 
come by  his  feelings  that  for  a  mo- 
ment he  could  not  speak.  Finally, 
he  snapped  his  fingers  and  said,  as 
his  eyes  blazed: 

"Very   well.     So   my   father   has 
put    a    barbarian    in    my    mother's 
place.     I  cannot  respect  him.   There- 
fore I  cannot  further  obey  him. 
shall  leave  his  house  at  once!" 

At  these  revolutionary  words,  hii 
old     grandfather    commanded     him 
sternly  to  keep  his  place  while  he 
taught  him  a  lesson. 

"To  whom,"  asked  the  old  man, 
"do  you  owe  your  existence,  and 
therefore  your  first  duty  in  life?" 

The   hot-headed  boy,   who  for   a 


number   of 


years   had 
3 


had    neither 


OSSOM 


father  nor  mother  to  guide  him, 
answered,  immediately: 

"To  the  Emperor  I  owe  my  exist- 
ence and  duty,  sir.  He  comes  even 
before  my  father.  Therefore,  in  leav- 
ing my  father's  house  to  enter  the 
service  of  Ten-shi-sama  [the  Mikado] 
I  am  but  doing  my  highest  duty." 

The  grandfather  looked  at  the 
flushed  face  of  the  young  boy. 

"You  will  enlist?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"You  are  too  young,  my  boy." 

"I  can  pass  for  much  older,"  said 
Gozo,  proudly. 

"You  are  but  seventeen,"  said  his 
grandfather,  quietly. 

The  boy's  heart  heaved. 

"Life  would  be  unbearable  here," 
said  he,  "with  such  a  change  in  the 
family." 

"Do  not  use  such  expressions  be- 
fore your  young  brothers  and  sisters," 

4 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 
f    7  \  ' 

said  the  grandfather,  sternly.  "You 
almost  make  me  think  you  are  un- 
fit to  be  an  elder  brother." 

At  this  Gozo  winced  and  became 
pale.  He  had  always  been  proud  of 
his  position  as  the  young  master  of 
the  family. 

Then  his  grandmother  spoke,  and 
her  words  reached  the  heart  of  the 
boy. 

"Be  not  rash,  my  Gozo.  Our 
dearest  daughter,  your  mother,  would 
have  been  the  first  to  urge  you  to 
filial  thought  for  your  father." 

"Grandmother,"  cried  the  boy,  "I 
can't  bear — "  He  flung  his  hand 
across  his  eyes  as  though  to  hide  the 
tears.  Now  all  the  children  began 
to  weep  in  sympathy  with  their  big 
brother.  Miss  Summer,  the  daugh- 
ter of  their  father's  friend,  set  up 
a  great  wail,  declaring  between  her 
sobs  that  never,  never,  never  could 
'•'ffi. 


iSf. 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

she  be  induced  to  wash  the  feet  or 
be  the  slave  of  a  barbarian  woman. 
For  Summer,  though  but  twelve 
years  old,  was  some  day  to  marry 
Gozo — so  their  fathers  had  said — 
and  in  Japan  a  daughter-in-law  is 
under  the  command  of  the  mother- 
in-law. 

By  patience  and  reasoning,  the 
grandparents  at  last  exacted  from 
Gozo  a  promise  that  he  would  not 
leave  home  until  his  step -mother 
came  to  Japan.  It  was  possible  she 
might  never  come.  Gozo,  the  proud 
and  stubborn,  sullenly  gave  the  prom- 
ise. During  the  months  that  fol- 
lowed, however,  he  seemed  greatly 
changed  in  disposition.  He  became 
studious,  quiet,  given  to  gloomy 
moods,  when  he  would  lock  himself 
up  in  his  room  and  brood  over  what 
he  considered  the  wrong  and  insult 
done  to  his  mother's  memory.  He 
6 


MM 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


would  have  found  it  hard  enough  to 
bear  if  his  father  had  married  a 
Japanese  woman,  but  the  thought  of 
an  American  mother  overwhelmed 
him  with  dismay.  He  pictured  to 
his  young  mind  her  influence  upon 
his  sisters  Plum  Blossom  and  Iris, 
twelve  and  eight  years  old  respec- 
tively; in  boyish  indignation  he  saw 
her  punishing  his  little  ten-year-old 
brother  Taro,  who  could  not  keep 
his  face  and  hands  clean  nor  keep 
his  clothes  whole.  One  night  Gozo 
dreamed  he  saw  his  step -mother  in 
the  guise  of  a  hated  fox-woman  sound- 
ly switching  with  a  bamboo  stick  his 
little,  fat,  baby  brother  Juji.  When 
he  awoke  in  the  middle  of  the  night 
to  find  it  only  a  dream,  he  got  up 
from  his  couch,  and,  going  to  where 
Juji  slept,  carried  him  to  his  own 
bed.  He  held  the  little,  warm  body 
closely  in  his  arms.  Juji  slept  on, 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

and  snuggled  down  comfortably  in  his 
brother's  arms  for  the  rest  of  the  night. 

It  was  the  following  morning  that 
the  letter  had  come  from  America 
telling  of  the  birth  of  the  new  baby. 
As  if  this  news  were  not  bad  enough, 
the  father,  unconscious  of  the  resent- 
ment he  had  awakened,  announced 
his  intention  of  returning  at  once  to 
Japan  with  his  wife,  the  new  baby, 
and  his  two  young  step-children,  for 
he  had  married  a  young  American 
widow. 

The  children's  faces  wore  a  fright- 
ened expression  as  the  grandmother 
read  the  letter  aloud.  Little  Plum 
Blossom  glanced  stealthily  at  her 
brother;  then  suddenly,  to  the  sur- 
prise of  them  all,  she  spoke  up: 

"Well,"  said  she,  "Daikoku  [god 
of  fortune]  is  good.     He  has  given  us 
another  sister.     /  shall  make  him  a 
great  offering  this  year." 
8 


- 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

Iris,  who  was  a  mere  echo  of  her 
sister,  ventured  a  little  sing-song  as- 
sent. 

"I  shall  make  a  big  offering,  too." 

Taro  grinned  apprehensively  in 
the  direction  of  his  moody  brother; 
then  said,  defiantly: 

"As  for  me,  /  shall  beat  every  sin- 
gle day  of  the  honorable  year  that 
barbarian  step -brother";  for  there 
was  a  little  step-brother  of  the  same 
age  as  Taro,  and  the  latter,  boylike, 
longed  to  try  his  powers  upon  him. 

Gozo  ground  his  teeth  together. 

"The  gods  only  know,"  said  he, 
"what  you  poor  little  ones  will  do. 
As  for  me,  I  shall  not  be  here  to  bow 
to  the  barbarian.  My  time  has  come. 
The  Emperor  needs  me." 

"  Oh,  please  don't  leave  us,  broth- 
er," said  Iris,  resting  her  face  on  his 
hand;  "I  shall  die  of  fear  if  you  are 
not  here  to  help  us  defy  her." . 
9 


PANESE     BLOSSOM 

naren,  hush!"  cried  the  old 
grandmother.  "Never  did  I  dream 
I  should  hear  such  words  from  my 
children.  Ah,  had  my  beloved 
daughter  lived,  you  little  ones  would 
have  had  more  filial  principles." 

"It  is  not  right  to  distress  grand- 
mother," said  Plum  Blossom,  "and 
it  is  very  wrong  to  speak  evil  of  one 
we  do  not  even  know.  I,  for  one,  am 
going  to — to — love  the  foreign  devil!" 

"So  am  I,"  sobbed  Iris,  still  caress- 
ing Gozo's  hand,  "b-but  I  shall  hate 
her  if  she  drives  our  Gozo  away!" 

Gozo  patted  the  little  girl's  head, 
but  said  nothing. 

Meanwhile,  little  Juji's  thumb  had 
fallen  from  his  mouth.  For  some 
time  he  had  been  watching  in  per- 
plexed wonder  the  expressions  upon 
the  faces  of  his  brothers  and  sisters. 
He  could  not  decide  in  his  small 
just  what  was  troubling  them 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

all;  but  troubled  they  surely  were. 
The  weeping  Iris  had  finally  decided 
Juji.  Plainly  something  was  wrong. 
The  baby's  lower  lip,  unnoticed  by 
any  one,  had  gradually  been  swelling 
out.  Suddenly  a  gasp  escaped  him, 
the  next  moment  the  room  resound- 
ed with  his  cries.  When  Juji  cried,  it 
seemed  as  if  the  very  house  shook. 
Though  not  often  given  to  these 
tempestuous  storms,  he  seemed  fairly 
convulsed  when  once  started  upon 
one.  He  would  lie  on  his  back  on 
the  floor,  stiffened  out.  First  he 
would  hold  his  breath,  then  gasp, 
then  roar.  Juji's  crying  could  never 
be  stopped  until  a  pail  of  water  was 
thrown  in  the  face  of  the  enraged 
child.  This  time,  however,  he  be- 
came the  object  of  intense  com- 
miseration. The  children  felt  that 
he  had  acquired  somehow  a  sense  of 
their  common  calamity. 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

The  screaming  child  was  alter- 
nately hugged  and  petted  and  fanned, 
until  finally,  his  fat  little  legs  kick- 
ing out  in  every  direction,  he  was 
carried  from  the  room  by  Gozo. 
Out  in  the  garden,  the  big  brother 
ducked  him  in  the  family  pond. 
Kind  travellers  in  Japan  have  made 
the  extraordinary  statement  that 
Japanese  children  never  cry.  Cer- 
tainly they  could  never  have  heard 
Juji — and  there  are  many  Jujis  in 
Japan,  just  as  there  are  in  every 
country. 

Juji's  crying  fit  broke  up  the  little 
family  council  for  that  day,  but  he 
was  the  only  member  of  the  family 
who  slept  soundly  that  night. 

The  little  girls  cried  softly  together, 
as  they  whispered  under  the  great 
padded  coverlid  of  their  bed.  Taro 
was  quite  feverish  in  his  imaginative 
battles  with  his  step-brother. 

12 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


As  for  Gozo,  he  sat  up  all  night 
l°ng>  gazing  with  melancholy  eyes  at 
the  stars,  thinking  himself  the  most 
miserable  being  on  the  face  of  the 
earth.  He,  too,  like  Juji,  needed  a 
little  pail  of  something  dashed  upon 
him,  and  soon  he  was  to  have  it! 


II 


H,  dear,  how  I  can  ever  bear 
this  corset!" 

Plum  Blossom  subsided  in  a  little, 
breathless  heap  on  the  floor. 

Early  in  the  day  both  she  and  Iris 
had  been  dressed  in  their  best  —  a 
plum-colored  crepe  kimono  for  little 
Plum  Blossom,  and  an  iris-colored 
crSpe  one  for  little  Iris.  Their  hair 
had  been  carefully  arranged  in  the 
pretty  mode  at  this  time  fashionable 
for  little  girls  in  Japan.  Flower  or- 
naments glistened  at  the  sides  of  the 
glossy  coiffures.  The  grandmother 
had  regarded  them  with  pride  when 
the  maid  brought  them  before  her. 
14 


A     JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

"Certainly,"  said  slie,  "your  father 
and  mother  will  be  proud  to  see  you." 

"  And  we  have  a  great  surprise,  too, 
for  her,"  said  Iris,  her  bright  eyes 
dancing.  *\^. 

Plum  Blossom  put  a  plump  little 
hand  over  her  sister's  mouth. 

"Hush!  Not  even  grandmother 
shall  know  yet." 

Grandmother  smiled  knowingly. 

"And  now,"  said  she,  "can  you 
say  all  the  big  English  words — you 
remember?" 

"Yes,  yes,"  cried  Iris,  excitedly. 
At  once  she  began  to  shout  in  her 
most  sing-song  voice : 

"How  de  do!  Ver'  glad  see  you 
two  days.  Thanzs  your  healt'  is 
good.  Most  honorable  welcome  at 
Japan.  Pray  seated  be  and  egscuse 
the  most  unworthy  house  of  my 
fadder." 

Plum  Blossom  was  chanting  her 
TS 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


welcome  before  Iris  had  quite  fin- 
ished. 

"Mos'  glad  you  cum.  Come  agin. 
Happy  see  you.  Come  agin.  Liddle 
girl,  welcome  for  sister.  Liddle  boy, 
too.  Nize  bebby!  Please  I  will 
kees.  So!" 

She  indicated  the  kiss  by  putting 
a  little,  open  mouth  against  her 
sister's  cheek,  leaving  a  wet  spot 
behind.  Iris  wiped  her  cheek  care- 
fully with  one  of  her  paper  handker- 
chiefs; then  as  carefully  she  re- 
powdered  the  spot  where  her  sister's 
moist  lips  had  rested. 

Ever  since  their  father  had  been 
in  America,  the  family  had  been 
learning  to  speak  English.  Their 
teacher  was  a  missionary  priest,  and 
low,  at  the  end  of  three  years,  even 
le  smallest  child  could  speak  the 
language,  though  imperfectly.  In 
order  to  obtain  fluency,  they  had 
16 


A     JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

made  English  the  spoken  language 
in  the  family.  The  speeches  of  wel- 
come to  the  step-mother  were  com- 
posed by  the  grandmother;  the  chil- 
dren had  learned  them  like  parrots. 
Madame  Sano  tapped  both  of  the 
little  girls  on  the  shoulder  and 
caressed  them.  Clinging  to  each 
other's  sleeves,  off  they  tripped  into 
the  other  room,  where  was  the  great 
"secret."  The  secret  consisted  of  a 
few  articles  of  American  attire,  which 
the  little  girls  had  induced  a  jinriki- 
man  to  bring  them  from  Tokio.  All 
of  the  money  Gozo  had  left  behind 
for  them  as  his  parting  gift  had  been 
expended  thus.  How  the  boy's  an- 
gry heart  would  have  stormed  had 
he  known  his  little  sisters  had  spent 
his  gift  for  such  a  purpose! 

Plum  Blossom  wore  a  corset  out- 
side her  kimono.  Some  one  had  told 
her  that  this  was  the  most  important 


article  of  a  barbarian  woman's  ward- 
robe, and  the  tighter  it  was  the  bet- 
ter. So  the  little  Japanese  girl  had 
tied  herself  by  the  corset-string  to  a 
post.  By  dint  of  hard  pulling  she 
had  managed  to  encase  her  plump 
form  so  tightly  that  she  could 
scarcely  breathe.  Iris,  with  hands 
clad  in  large  kid  gloves,  was  drawing 
on  a  pair  of  number  five  shoes.  Her 
feet  were  those  of  the  average  Amer- 
ican child  of  seven  or  eight  years. 
At  this  juncture  Miss  Summer  (who 
being  engaged  to  Gozo  was  always 
called  "Miss"  by  the  little  girls) 
opened  the  shoji  and  thrust  a  flushed 
and  excited  face  between  the  parti- 
tions. She  was  six  months  older 
than  when  she  had  wailed  aloud  her 
determination  not  to  wash  the  feet 
of  a  barbarian  mother-in-law,  but 
she  seemed  as  childish  and  silly  as 
ever  as  she  came  tittering  into  the 
18 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

room,  an  enormous  straw  hat,  from 
which  dangled  ribbons  and  bedrag- 
gled ostrich-feathers,  upon  her  head. 
The  sisters  gasped  in  admiration, 
their  eyes  purple  with  envy  and  won- 
der. Only  in  pictures  had  they  seen 
anything  so  gorgeous  as  that  hat. 

"Where  did  you  get  it?"  inquired 
Plum  Blossom,  letting  the  corset  out 
a  bit  by  the  simple  method  of  breath- 
ing hard,  hence  snapping  the  fragile 
cord. 

"Well,"  said  Summer,  confiden- 
tially, "I  will  tell  you  if  you  will 
never,  never  repeat  it  to  my  future 
husband." 

"Gozo  ?" 

Summer  nodded.  "Gozo  hates 
much  Otami  Ichi,"  said  Summer, 
with  meaning. 

Plum  Blossom's  scorn  burst  the 
last  string  of  the  corset.  It  slipped 
from  her  as  she  arose. 


^'~&^&tt;$r/* " 

%&#&^&* 


"Hi,"  she  said,  "Otami  Ichi!  He 
says  he  is  two  years  too  young  to  be 
a  soldier.  He  is  older  than  Gozo. 
Did  you  take  gifts  from  him!" 

Summer  giggled  and  shrugged  her 
shoulders. 

"Why  not?  His  honorable  father 
keeps  a  fine  foreign  store  in  Tokio." 

It  was  Plum  Blossom's  turn  to 
shrug.  She  undid  her  obi  and  tied 
the  corset  to  her  with  the  sash. 

''What  do  you  suppose  Taro  has 
been  doing?"  said  Iris. 

"Something  bad?" 

"No,  not  bad  exactly,"  said  Plum 
Blossom,  who  disliked  her  future 
sister-in-law.  "He  has  been  learn- 
ing jiu-jitsu." 

It  was  Summer's  turn  to  gasp, 
thus  displacing  her  elaborate  head- 
gear. 

"What!  A  baby  of  ten  learn  jiu- 
jitsu?" 

20 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

"Eleven,"  corrected  Plum  Blos- 
som. "His  grandfather  was  samu- 
rai. Ver'  well.  That  grandfather's 
friend  teach  him  jiu-jitsu  —  a  few 
tricks  of  jiu-jitsu." 

"What  for?  Will  he,  too,  fight 
the  Russians?"  inquired  Miss  Sum- 
mer, sarcastically. 

"N-no,"  said  Plum  Blossom,  dubi- 
ously, "but  he  says  he  will  fight 
somebody." 

"And  little  Juji,"  put  in  Iris,  "has 
a  fine  present  for  our  dear  mother." 

"What  is  it?" 

"A  bag  of  peanuts!" 

"That's  nize.  How  can  I  keep 
this  hat  on.  It  falls  off  if  I  move." 

"You  must  pin  it  on,"  suggested 
Plum  Blossom,  "for  so  the  fashion- 
books  say.  There,  take  one  of  your 
hair-pins."  She  adjusted  the  hat 
back  to  front  on  Summer's  head,  and 
fixed  it  firmly  in  place  with  a  long 

21 

^flTR 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

hair-dagger  she  took  from  the  girl's 
coiffure. 

Summer  found  a  seat  and  began  to 
fan  herself  languidly.  "My  sleeves 
feel  very  heavy  to-day,"  said  she. 

"Why?" 

"They  are  much  weighted,"  de- 
clared Summer;  "I  carry  in  them 
five  love-letters." 

"Oh!  Oh-h!  From  our  Gozo? 
Why,  has  he  already  written  to  you, 
Summer?" 

"I'll  tell  you  a  secret,"  said  Sum- 
mer, giggling.  "No,  you  must  not 
listen,  Iris.  You  are  too  young." 
She  whispered  into  Plum  Blossom's 
ear.  Suddenly  the  latter  thrust  out 
her  little,  plump  hands. 

"Go  away.  You  are  not  good 
girl.  Only  my  brother  should  write 
you  love-letters!" 

Plaintively  Summer  made  a  gest- 
ure of  annoyance. 

22 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


"  I  must  spend  a  lifetime  with 
Gozo,"  said  she.  "Therefore,  is  it 
not  better  to  have  a  little  fun  first  of 
all?" 

Iris  cried  out  something  in  a  very 
jeering  voice.  Summer  pretended 
she  did  not  hear. 

"What  is  that?"  cried  her  sister, 
excitedly. 

"Oh,  I  know  who  wrote  Summer's 
love-letters  to  her." 

"Who  did?" 
."She  wrote  them  herself." 

"I  did  not." 

"You  did." 

"I  did  not!" 

"  You  did,  for  your  cousin  told  me 
so." 

"Oh,  the  wicked  little  fiend!" 

"Young  ladies,"  called  a  maid 
from  below.  "Come,  come;  come 
quickly.  Your  father  is  seen.  The 
jinrikishas!  Hurry!  Your  honor- 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

able  grandmother  wishes  you  to  be 
at  the  door  to  welcome  him!" 

In  a  panic  the  little  girls  rushed 
about  the  room,  gathering  up  their 
various  articles.  Then,  grasping  each 
other's  sleeves,  they  tripped  down 
the  stairs. 


HILE  the  husband  assisted  the 
children  and  nurse  to  alight 
from  the  jinrikishas,  Mrs.  Kurukawa 
the  second  stood  looking  about  her. 

She  was  a  little  woman,  possibly 
thirty-five  years  old.  Her  face  was 
expressive,  showing  a  somewhat  shy 
and  timid  nature.  Her  large,  brown 
eyes  had  a  look  of  appeal  in  them  as 
she  turned  them  towards  her  hus- 
band. He  smiled  reassuringly  and 
put  an  affectionate  hand  upon  her 
arm.  Immediately  her  momentary 
restraint  and  fear  left  her. 

"  Is  this  the  famous  Plum  Blossom 
Avenue?"  she  asked,  indicating  the 

3  25 


JAPANESE 


BLOSSOM 


budding  trees  under  which  they  now 
passed,  and  which  served  as  an  ex- 
quisite pathway  through  the  garden. 

"This  is  Plum  Blossom  Avenue," 
replied  her  husband,  "and  as  you 
-see,  I  keep  my  .promise.  You  know 
I  cabled  to  Japan  to  have  the  plum 
blossoms  all  in  bud  for  us  when  we 
should  arrive." 

"How  good  of  you!"  she  laughed. 
"Just  as  if  you  didn't  know  they 
bloom  at  the  end  of  March!  But 
where  are  the  children?  You  also 
promised  that  they  would  be  under 
the  trees  waiting  for  us." 

Mr.  Kurukawa  looked  a  bit  worried. 

" It's  strange,"  he  said.  "Ah,  here 
come  my  mother  and  father-in-law." 

His  first  wife's  father  and  mother 
hastened  down  the  path  to  meet 
them. 

;  •  To  the  delight  of  the  little  Ameri- 
can children,  the  old  man  and  woman 
^"  *  ~*  * » • 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

favored  them  with  the  most  wonder- 
ful bows  they  had  ever  seen.  In 
fact,  the  boy  afterwards  insisted 
that  the  old  man's  bald  head  had 
literally  touched  his  own  boots. 

The  new  wife  held  out  both  her 
hands  with  a  pretty  impulse. 

"Oh,"  she  said,  "I  have  heard  all 
about  you — how  very,  very  good  you 
have  been  to  the  children." 

The  old  couple  did  not  quite  un- 
derstand what  she  said,  but  feeling 
assured  that  it  was  something  com- 
plimentary, they  began  a  fresh  series 
of  bows,  repeating  over  and  over 
again  one  of  the  English  words  they 
had  learned. 

"Thangs,  thangs,  very  thangs." 

Mr.  Kurukawa  now  inquired  anx- 
iously for  his  children.  He  had  cer- 
tainly expected  they  would  be  at  the 
gate  to  meet  them.  The  grand- 
mother explained  that  only 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

ment  before  the  two  little  boys  had 
been  with  her,  and  she  had  sent  im- 
mediately for  the  little  girls.  But 
just  as  they  came  to  the  door  the 
little  boys  had  run  away  in  fright, 
and  were  now  shyly  hiding  some- 
where. 

"  Gozo  ?    What  of  Gozo  ?" 

The  two  old  people  looked  at  each 
other.  They  did  not  know  what  to 
say. 

"Pray  come  into  the  house,  my 
son,"  said  Madame  Sano.  "We  can 
better  speak  there." 

They  had  been  talking  in  Jap- 
anese. Noting  her  husband's  look 
of  worry,  Mrs.  Kurukawa  anxiously 
inquired  the  reason.  Without  ex- 
plaining, he  led  her  into  the  house. 
As  they  entered  they  were  startled  by 
the  strange  sound  that  greeted  them. 
It  was  like  the  sharp  sigh  of  a  wind 
in  an  empty  house.  In  reality  it 
28 


ff 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSO 


was  the  panic-stricken  flight  from 
the  hallway  of  the  children  of  Mr. 
Kurukawa. 

Grouped  closely  together,  the  four 
children  and  Miss  Summer  had  re- 
treated to  the  far  end  of  the  hall, 
where  they  awaited  the  advent 
of  the  dreaded  "barbarian"  step- 
mother, for  such  Gozo  had  made 
them  believe  she  must  be.  For 
many  months  they  had  conjured  up 
in  imagination  pictures  of  their  step- 
mother and  her  children. 

They  had  seen  but  one  foreigner 
in  their  town,  the  missionary,  who 
had  been  their  teacher.  Him  they 
had  held  in  as  much  awe  and  fear  as 
they  would  a  strange  animal. 

Now  their  father  appeared  in  the 
hall,  holding  by  the  arm  what  seemed 
to  the  children  a  most  extraordinary 
looking  creature,  while  behind  them 
came,  hand  in  hand,  the  strangest 
29 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

looking  little  boy  and  girl,  with  eyes 
so  big  that  Plum  Blossom  thought 
them  like  those  of  a  goblin.  The 
face,  however,  which  frightened  them 
most  was  that  of  the  Irish  nurse, 
who  bore  the  baby  in  her  arms.  The 
children  gazed  only  a  moment  at 
this  outlandish  group;  then  with  one 
accord  they  fled,  each  in  a  different 
direction. 

The  strangers  coming  from  the 
out-door  sunlight  into  the  darkened 
hall  had  barely  time  to  see  the  chil- 
dren ere  they  were  gone.  They  had 
a  hazy  glimpse  of  a  patch  of  color  at 
the  end  of  the  hall,  and  then  its  sud- 
den, wild  dispersion.  For  st  moment 
they  stood  looking  about  them  in 
blank  astonishment.  Suddenly  Mr. 
Kurukawa,  who  was  ebullient  with 
humor  and  good-nature,  burst  into 
laughter.  He  laughed  so  hard,  in- 
deed, that  his  wife,  the  children,  and 
30 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

&  """"""si  <v 

the  nurse  joined  him.  This  unusual 
mirth  in  the  house  brought  the  chil- 
dren cautiously  back,  too  curious 
and  inquisitive  to  withstand  the 
novelty  of  the  situation. 

Through  the  paper  walls  little 
fingers  were  cautiously  thrust;  little 
black  eyes  peered  at  the  new-comers 
from  behind  these  frail  retrenchments. 

When  his  mirth  had  subsided,  Mr. 
Kurukawa  favored  his  wife  with  a 
sly  wink,  and  then  quick  as  a  flash 
he  pushed  back  one  of  the  shojis,  dis- 
closing the  little  figure  behind  it. 
He  lifted  it  up  by  the  bow  of  its  obi. 
Something  strange  stuck  closely  to  it 
and  invited  the  gaze  of  Mrs.  Kuru- 
kawa. It  was  the  corset! 

At  the  same  time  the  father  per- 
ceived it,  and,  pulling  it  off,  held  it 
aloft. 

"Ah,  ha!"  he  cried,  "here  is  surely 
a  little  flag  of  truce." 


A     JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


He  threw  it  aside  and  caught  the 
little,  trembling  Plum  Blossom  in  his 
arms,  hugging  her  tightly..  She  hid 
her  face  in  his  bosom.  After  a  time 
he  set  her  down  upon  the  floor. 

"This,"  he  said,  "is  Plum  Blos- 
som. In  America /she  would  be 
called  Roly-poly— she  is  so  fat,  and, 
like  her  father,  good-natured,"  and 
he  pinched  her  cheek.  "Go  now," 
he  bade  her/ "  and  kiss  your  new 
mother."  / 

She  went  obediently,  but  with  fear 
in  her  eyes,  towards  Mrs.  Kurukawa. 
The  letter  knelt  and  held  out  both 
her  arms.  She  was  crying  a  bit,  and 
possibly  it  was  the  tears  and  the 
sweet  sound  of  her  voice  that  won 
Plum  Blossom.  She  tried  to  re- 
member the  speech  she  had  learned, 
but  the  only  words  that  came  to  her 
lips  were: 

"Come  agin,"  and  this  she  kept 
32 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

mechanically  reiterating.  "  Come  agin 
— come  agin — come  agin." 

Here  it  is  painful  to  relate  that 
the  young  son  of  Mrs.  Kurukawa 
chose  to  make  himself  heard  in  un- 
couth American  slang.  Billy  spoke 
almost  reflectively,  as  if  he  had 
heard  that  "Come  agin"  somewhere 
before.  "Come  agin,  on  agin,  gone 
agin,  Finnegan!"  said  Billy,  promptly. 

"Oh,  Billy,  hush!"  said  his  moth- 
er, reprovingly,  but  Plum  Blossom's 
face  radiated.  Here  was  a  kindred 
spirit,  one  who  had  repeated  her  own 
words.  "Come  agin,"  and  then  pos- 
sibly finer  ones. 

Meanwhile,  Iris,  showing  first  a 
curious  little  topknot,  gradually  pro- 
jected her  head,  and  then  her  whole 
body  through  the  dividing  doors. 
She  stood  in  the  opening  greedily 
watching  Plum  Blossom.  Half  hid- 
den behind  her  scanty  little  skirt, 


Ci-.<=-? 

Vv^fr^S*- 

~V$> 


APANESE    BLOSSOM 

the  small,  fat  face  of  Juji  peered. 
Though  no  one  so  far  had  seen  him, 
Juji,  with  the  usual  consciousness  of 
two  and  a  half-years,  was  alternately 
showing  and  then  hiding  his  face,  be- 
ing divided  between  a  desire  to  stand 
joyfully  on  hii  head,  or  indulge  in 
one  of  his  farrious  roars.  Iris,  edg- 
ing farther  into  the  room,  drew  him 
after  her.  Mrs.  Kurukawa  perceived 
them.  On  the  instant  Juji  sank  to 
the  floor,  impeding  the  further  prog- 
ress of  his  sister  by  clinging  to  her 
legs. 

"Oh,  the  darling  little  boy!"  cried 
the  little  American  girl,  and  ran  to 
him  to  lift  him  up.  Juji's  lip  began 
to  protrude  ominously.  Plum  Blos- 
som sprang  into  the  breach. 

"Juji!  Juji!"  she  cried,  in  moth- 
erly Japanese,  "don't  cry!  Good 
boy!  Give  nice  present  to — 1-lady!" 

Whereupon  Juji  held  out  a  grimy 
34 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

little  hand,  from  which  Plum  Blos- 
som extracted  a  crumpled  paper 
package.  She  presented  it  to  Mrs. 
Kurukawa  with  a  smiling  bow. 

"Peanut!"  said  she,  in  English; 
"nize.  For  you!"  She  had  remem- 
bered the  words  now. 

"  Oh,  thank  you,  thank  you,  darling," 
said  Mrs .  Kurukawa .  Wishing  to  show 
her  delight  in  the  gift,  she  added : 

"Come,  we  will  all  have  some." 

She  emptied  the  contents  into  her 
lap,  then  stared  for  a  moment. 
Gradually  her  astonishment  changed 
to  laughter. 

The  package  contained  only  shells. 
Juji  had  eaten  the  peanuts. 

Plum  Blossom  and  Iris  felt  com- 
pletely disgraced.  Iris,  from  the 
shelter  of  her  father's  arms,  whither 
she  had  gone,  now  flew  towards  the 
wicked  Juji. 

"Oh,  the  bad  boy!"  she  cried. 
35 


:cx 


.«£>•. 


W7 

feS. 


SSOM 

Juji's  lip  broke.  One  of  his  terrific 
roars  ensued.  He  was  borne  from  the 
room  by  the  humiliated  little  girls. 

"And  now,"  said  Mr.  Kurukawa, 
rubbing  his  hands  and  speaking  in 
a  loud  voice:  "Where  are  my  sons? 
Taro!"  he  called. 

Promptly  the  boy  answered.  He 
came  literally  tumbling  into  the  hall, 
which,  with  the  panels  pushed  aside, 
had  now  become  a  large  room. 

Taro's  eyes  evaded  his  father. 
For  some  time  he  had  been  watching 
intently  the  American  boy  from  his 
peep-hole  in  the  paper  shoji.  As  he 
appeared  at  the  call  of  his  father,  his 
eyes  were  still  riveted  upon  his  hated 
rival.  Suddenly  he  made  a  catlike 
spring  in  the  boy's  direction  and 
landed  sprawling  on  Billy's  chest. 
For  the  astonished  Billy,  tripped  un- 
awares, was  lying  on  his  back.  A 
great  flame  of  indignation,  and  yet 
36 


A    JAPANESE 

•f'y.\r\ 

almost  unwilling  admiration,  stirred 
within  the  heart  of  the  prize  fighter 
of  a  certain  Chicago  school. 

Could  it  be  possible  that  this  little 
mite  of  a  Jap  was  sitting  victoriously 
on  his  chest  ?  He  growled  and  moved 
a  bit,  but  Taro,  wildly  trying  to  keep 
in  mind  the  few  jiu-jitsu  tricks  he 
had  lately  learned,  touched  the  boy's 
arm  in  a  sensitive  place. 

Billy  rose  like  a  lion  shaking  off  a 
troublesome  cub.  As  Taro  caught 
him  about  the  calf  of  his  leg,  Billy 
reached  down  and  took  the  little 
Japanese  boy  by  the  waist  and 
coolly  tucked  him  under  his  arm; 
then  he  marched  up  and  down,  sing- 
ing at  the  top  of  his  voice: 


Yankee  Doodle  came  to  town, 
Riding  on  a  pony — 

Took  a  little  Jappy  Jap 
Who  was  a  bit  too  funny!" 


If 


w 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

Here  it  may  be  well  to  explain  that 
Billy,  besides,  being  the  prize  fighter  of 
his  school,  was  also  the  class  poet. 

Mrs.  Kurukawa  rescued  the  little 
"Jappy  Jap"  from  her  big  son's 
hands,  and  gave  the  latter  a  reprov- 
ing look,  saying : 

"Oh,  Billy,  is  that  the  way  to 
treat  your  little  brother?" 

"Well,  mother,"  protested  Billy, 
"he  did  get  funny,  now  didn't  he, 
father?"  He  appealed  to  Mr.  Kuru- 
kawa, who  was  patting  the  ruffled 
head  of  the  discomfited  and  con- 
quered jiu-jitsu  student. 

Taro's  expression  had  undergone 
a  change.  In  his  little  black  eyes  a 
gleam  of  respect  for  Billy  might  have 
been  seen.  Suddenly  he  nodded  his 
head  significantly,  and  made  a  mo- 
tion of  his  hand  towards  the  garden, 
signifying  in  boy  language  the  in- 
vitation : 

38 


Ho  I 


A     JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

"Come  outside.  I'll  show  you 
some  things." 

Out  they  wandered  together,  ex- 
cellent friends  at  once. 

"Sa-ay,"  said  Taro,  pausing  on 
the  brink  of  his  own  private  gar- 
den brook,  "you — you,"  he  touched 
Billy  with  a  stiff  little  finger— "you 
— Gozo!" 

Billy  was  at  a  loss  to  understand 
what  ' '  say  —  you  —  Gozo ! ' '  could 
mean,  but  he  liked  the  look  on 
Taro's  face,  so  grinned  and  said: 
"Me  —  Gozo."  Taro  nodded.  He 
had  paid  Billy  the  highest  compli- 
ment in  his  power,  likening  him  to 
the  hero  of  the  Kurukawa  family, 
the  great,  elder  brother  Gozo. 


IV 

MEANWHILE,  in  the  house,  Mr. 
Kurukawa  was  inquiring  ur- 
gently for  Gozo.  Where  was  he? 
Why  was  he  not  the  first  to  greet  his 
parents?  The  grandparents  would 
not  respond  to  his  inquiries,  but  re- 
mained silent,  looking  very  dejected 
and  miserable.  Their  aspect  alarmed 
Mr.  Kurukawa,  who  now  clapped  his 
hands  loudly.  Several  servants  came 
running  into  the  room  in  answer  to 
his  summons.  Immediately  the  mas- 
ter questioned  them: 

"Where  is  my  sonOozo?" 
But  all  the  response  he  received 
from  the  servants  was  a  profound 
40 


silence,  broken  by  that  hissing,  sigh- 
ing sound  peculiar  to  the  Japanese 
when  moved,  a  drawing  in  of  the 
breath  through  the  teeth.  Mr.  Kuru- 
kawa  recognized  a  boy  who  had  been 
his  own  body-servant,  and  to  him  he 
strode,  seizing  the  latter  by  the 
shoulder  of  his  kimono.  But  the 
boy  slipped  from  his  hand  to  the 
ground  and  put  his  head  at  his 
master's  feet.  There,  with  his  face 
hidden,  he  answered  the  questions 
put  to  him. 

"Speak,  my  boy,  where  is  Gozo?" 

"O  Excellency,  young  master — 
sir — "  he  broke  off  and  began  to  cry, 
beating  his  head  as  he  did  so  on  the 
floor.  Mr.  Kurukawa  raised  him 
forcibly  to  his  feet. 

"What  is  it,  Ido?  Has  anything 
happened  to  our  Gozo?" 

He  could  hardly  bring  the  words 
out.  The  bare  thought  that  mis- 

4  41 


JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

fortune  had  befallen  his  eldest  son 
horrified  him. 

Ido  dried  his  face  on  his  sleeve, 
and  from  his  new  hiding-place  spoke : 

"Young  master,  sir,  gone  away, 
O  Excellency!" 

Mr.  Kurukawa's  grasp  on  the  boy's 
shoulder  relaxed.  He  stepped  back 
and  stood  a  moment  silent,  his  hand 
against  his  forehead. 

"What  is  it,  Kiyo?  What  is  it?" 
asked  his  wife,  going  to  him  and 
throwing  an  arm  about  him. 

The  color  came  back  into  her 
husband's  face.  He  laughed  a  bit 
weakly. 

"I  thought  it  possible  that  my 
boy  was — " 

She  held  his  hand  tightly,  her  eyes 
full  of  tears. 

"Oh,  I  understand.  I  do,"  she 
said.  "But  where  is  he?" 

Her  husband  stepped  back  to  the 
42 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


spot  where  Ido  had  been.  Then  he 
saw  that  in  almost  complete  silence 
the  servants,  including  Ido,  had 
slipped  from  the  room. 

He  fancied  he  heard  the  slight 
movement  of  their  feet  on  the  pad- 
ded floor  beyond  the  shoji.  Im- 
petuously and  insistently  he  clapped 
his  hands  again,  and  silently  they 
answered  his  summons.  Nearly  all 
the  servants  of  the  Kurukawa  family 
had  been  in  their  service  for  years, 
some  of  them  having  served  the 
grandparents.  Their  averted  faces 
alarmed  Mr.  Kurukawa.  This  time 
he  did  not  question  them. 

"Send  Plum  Blossom-san  to  me 
at  once,"  he  said. 

The  little  girl  was  brought  in.  With 
her  Iris  and  the  consoled  Juji  came. 

The  father  took  the  eldest  girl  by 
the  hand;  kneeling,  he  spoke  to  her 
almost  pleadingly. 

43 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

"Tell  father  all  about  Gozo,"  he 
said. 

Plum  Blossom  grew  very  red  and 
looked  towards  Mrs.  Kurukawa. 
Then  she  spoke  low  in  Japanese,  her 
hand  half  pointing  in  the  direction  of 
her  step-mother. 

"She — she — send  away  our  Gozo," 
she  said. 

At  the  mention  of  Gozo's  name 
Juji  paused  in  his  eating  of  a  juicy 
persimmon  to  give  signs  of  a  re- 
newal of  his  late  tear-storm.  Little 
Iris  drew  him  comfortingly  into  her 
arms,  soothing  him  in  this  wise: 

"There,  there,  Juji,  don't  cry! 
Gozo  is  coming  back  some  day.  Oh, 
you  should  laugh,  Juji,  because  our 
Gozo  is  so  brave  and  fine.  Think  of 
it!  He  is  a  soldier  of  the  beloved 
Ten-shi-sama!" 

"Soldier!"  cried  Mr.  Kurukawa, 
and  leaped  to  his  feet.  "My  boy  a 

44 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


soldier!"  he  cried,  almost  staggering 
forward. 

"Yes,  father,"  said  Plum  Blossom. 
"Gozo  is  a  g- great  soldier  now!" 

Mr.  Kurukawa  went  towards  the 
grandparents. 

"What  does  this  mean?  He  was 
left  in  your  charge.  He  is  only  a 
child — a  mere  boy  of  eighteen.  How 
could  he  enlist  at  such  an  age?" 

"He  passed  for  older,"  said  the 
grandmother,  slowly.  "We  did  ev- 
erything to  prevent  his  going — but  he 
has  gone." 

"Ah,  I  see — I  understand,"  said 
Mr.  Kurukawa.  For  a  moment  his 
face  was  lighted  as  a  look  of  pride 
swept  across  it.  "The  boy  was  in- 
spired. He  could  not  wait  to  come 
of  age.  He  wanted  to  give  his  young 
life  for  his  country,  his  Emperor.  I 
am  proud  of  him.  Where  is  he 
now?" 

45 


A     JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

"The  last  time  we  heard  from  him 
he  was  at  Port  Arthur.  That  was — 
two  months  ago." 

"Ah-h!  Condescend  to  give  me 
his  letter— 

The  grandmother  slowly  and  re- 
luctantly took  it  from  her  sleeve  and 
handed  it  to  the  father.  Mr.  Kuru- 
kawa's  eager  fingers  shook  as  he  un- 
folded the  letter,  a  long,  narrow  sheet, 
covered  with  the  bold  and  character- 
istic writing  up  and  down  the  pages 
of  his  son  Gozo.  As  he  perused  it 
his  face  grew  darkly  red.  The  sheet 
rustled  in  his  hands.  When  he  had 
finished  he  crushed  it,  and  stood  for 
a  moment  in  silence,  anger  and  sor- 
row combating  within  him. 

"So,"  he  finally  spoke,  "it  was  not 
honorable  loyalty  to  the  Mikado 
which  inspired  him,  but  a  mean  emo- 
tion— hatred  of  one  he  does  not  even 
know.  I  expected  better  of  my  son." 
46 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

[e  let  the  crumpled  letter  fall 
from  his  hand.  Stooping,  the  grand- 
mother picked  it  up,  to  place  it  ten- 
derly in  her  sleeve.  She  spoke  with 
a  touch  of  reproach  in  her  voice: 

"Kurukawa  Kiyskichi,"  she  said, 
"  never  before  have  I  heard  your  lips 
speak  bitterly  of  your  eldest  son. 
Be  not  inspired  to  feel  anger  towards 
him."  She  glanced  at  Mrs.  Kuru- 
kawa as  though  she  were  the  one 
at  fault.  "Gozo  is  a  good  boy,  has 
always  been  so.  It  was  not  hatred, 
as  you  say,  which  prompted  him 
to  leave  his  own.  Call  it  rather 
a  boy's  feeling  of  resentment,  that 
the  place  of  the  one  he  had  loved 
dearly — his  mother — should  so  soon 
be  filled — and  by  a  bar — 

She  did  not  finish  the  word.  Her 
son-in-law  stopped  her  with  a  stern 
gesture. 

"Sav  no  more,  honorable  mother- 


^ 


<J 


A     JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

in-law.  It  is  enough  that  my  son 
has,  without  so  much  as  referring  to 
me  in  the  matter,  left  my  house.  In 
his  letter  he  speaks  slanderously  of 
one  who  is  good,  who  was  ready  to 
love  him  as  her  very  son.  She  is  my 
wife  just  as  much  as  Gozo's  mother 
was.  She  is  no^  'an  intruder  in  her 
husband's  house,  and  my  son  has  no 
right  to  question  her  place  here.  Of 
his  own  free  will  he  has  left  his 
father's  house.  Very  well,  he  shall 
never  return  to — 

"  What  does  it  all  mean  ?"  broke  in 
his  wife  with  agitation.  "Tell  me 
what  you  are  saying,  Kiyo.  Where 
is  Gozo?" 

"7  will  tell  unto  you,"  spoke  the 
grandmother,  going  towards  her. 
"Better,  madame,  that  you  should 
know.  I  say  not  English  well,  but — " 

"I  understand  you." 

"Gozo — our  boy — go  way — mek 
48 


,A/ 


^:ivMl^/  . ... U..JM 

~^1_^S  -v,V'i  i ""vV:^  >  i>vA vl*  J*/pf- "• 

~          ~    ~~>>*    ',     4    '  »  *     V    V"H  C*»  J"  »^   ^^-t,      -  -  -."    * 

*'-'""-'*'•'   •  *  \XXXN^  -  *  '"i-'T 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

soldier — fight  Lussians.   He  angry  ac- 
count you — therefore  he  be  soldier — 

"  Account — me  !  Why,  I  don't  un- 
derstand— that  is —  Yes — I  think  I 
do  understand.  He  was  opposed  to 
his  father's  marriage?" 

"He  love  his  mother,"  said  the  old 
woman,  and  then  began  to  trem- 
ble, for  Mrs.  Kurukawa  had  hidden 
her  face  in  her  hands.  The  grand- 
mother spoke  uncertainly. 

"Pray  egscuse  —  I  sawry  —  ve'y 
sawry .  Gozo  —  Gozo  —  bad. ' '  She 
brought  the  word  out  as  if  it  hurt 
her  to  admit  this  much  of  her  best- 
loved  grandchild. 

"No,  no,"  said  Mrs.  Kurukawa, 
softly.  "He  is  not  bad.  I  under- 
stand him.  Why,  it  was  only  nat- 
ural." She  moved  appealingly  tow- 
ards her  husband.  "Don't  you 
remember,  Kiyo,  I  feared  this — that 
the  children  might  not  want  me." 
49 


. 

A     JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


"And  I  told  you,"  said  he,  quickly, 
"that  it  was  not  my  children  you 
were  marrying,  but  myself." 

"You  are  angry  with  that  boy," 
she  cried. 

"Angry!  I  will  never  forgive 
him!"  ' 

"Oh,  you  don't  mean  that." 

"  We  will  not  talk  of  it  any  longer," 
said  her  husband,  turning  away. 

The  boy  had  written: 

"  The  barbarian  female  who  has  taken 
my  mother's  place  is  a  witch — a  fox  woman 
— a  devil!  Otherwise  how  could  she  have 
worked  upon  my  father's  mind  so  soon  to 
forget  our  mother?  I  could  not  remain  at 
home  and  face  such  a  woman.  Better 
that  I  should  go.  Here,  at  least,  my 
bitter  thoughts  can  do  no  injury.  How  I 
long  to  be  exposed  to  great  danger!  May- 
be, if  I  die,  my  father  will  be  sorry!" 

Such  unfilial,  rebellious  words  were 
unheard    of    from    a    Japanese    son. 
5° 


A     JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

Left  to  the  care  of  his  doting  old 
grandparents,  Mr.  Kurukawa  saw 
clearly  how  much  Gozo  had  needed 
the  guiding  hand  of  a  father. 


MARION  sat •  on  a  gigantic  moss- 
grown  rock,  looking  with  some- 
what wistful  eyes  at  the  children  in 
the  family  pond.  She  envied  them 
their  intense  enjoyment.  The  family 
pond,  it  should  be  explained,  was 
also  the  family  bath-tub.  It  was  a 
great  pool  of  water,  set  in  the  heart 
of  the  garden,  a  beautiful  and  allur- 
ing spot  for  the  children.  All  about 
it  the  blossoming  trees  bent  their 
heads  as  if  to  look  at  their  own  re- 
flected images  in  the  mirror  of  the 
water.  The  Kurukawas  had  added 
to  its  natural  beauty  by  placing 
along  its  banks  huge  rocks  of  strange 
5  2 


"  MARION    SAT    ON    A    GIGANTIC    MOSS-GROWN    ROCK,  LOOKING 
AT   THE    CHILDREN    IN   THE    FAMILY    POND  " 


n 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

formation,    very    charming    to    look 
at,  and  comfortable  to  sit  upon. 

Out  over  the  water  a  sort  of  pleas- 
ure-booth was  built,  over  which  the 
wistaria  vines  clambered  and  bloomed 
in  wild  profusion.  This  was  the  dolls' 
house  of  the  little  Japanese  girls.  In 
the  water  were  two  diminutive  sam- 
pans and  also  a  raft,  the  property  of 
Taro,  inherited  from  Gozo. 

The  pond  was  a  natural  one.  It 
might  have  been  termed  a  small 
lake,  but  the  family  had  always  re- 
ferred to  it  as  "the  pond,"  and  even 
had  called  it  the  "bath,"  for  that 
was  its  chief  use.  The  little  Kuru- 
kawas  dipped  into  it  sometimes  three 
times  a  day  in  the  summer.  They 
had  almost  literally  spent  their  lives 
in  it.  Even  three-year-old  Juji  would 
throw  his  fat  little  hands  over  his 
head,  and  dive  into  the  water,  swim- 
ming as  naturally  as  a  wild  duck. 
53 


m 


i 
:.• . 

: 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

Now  as  Marion  watched  the  shin- 
ing brown  bodies  of  her  step-brothers 
and  sisters  her  eyes  unconsciously 
filled  with  tears.  Why  could  not 
she  throw  aside  her  white  starched 
clothes  and  join  them  in  their  pleas- 
ures? It  was  not  that  her  mother 
would  not  permit  her;  but  Mar- 
ion's sensitive  soul  had  been  deeply 
wounded  by  the  manner  of  her  step- 
sisters when  first  she  had  put  on  a 
kimono,  and  had  gone,  with  innocent 
friendliness,  to  join  them.  At  first 
the  little  girls  had  regarded  her  with 
amazement.  Summer,  who  happen- 
ed to  be  with  them,  hid  her  face  be- 
hind her  fan,  where  she  giggled  and 
tittered  in  the  most  provoking  way 
imaginable.  Plum  Blossom  asked, 
bluntly : 

"Wha's  triad?     Dress?" 

"My  kimono,"  faltered  Marion. 

"Where  you  git?" 
54 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


"Mother  bought  it  at  a  Japanese 
store  in  Chicago." 

Plum  Blossom  shook  her  head  dis- 
approvingly, while  Iris,  in  imitation 
of  Summer,  began  to  titter  also. 

"Thas  nod  Japanese,"  said  Plum 
Blossom,  severely. 

Marion  had  moved  proudly  and 
silently  away. 

"Mother,"  she  cried,  running  into 
her  room,  with  crimson  cheeks  and 
flashing  eyes,  "give  me  back  my 
own  clothes.  Oh,  I  never,  never, 
never  want  to  wear  these  horrid 
things  again,"  she  sobbed  in  her 
mother's  lap. 

And  now,  a  week  later,  Marion 
still  wore  her  white  starched  gown 
of  pique,  and  sat  there  on  the  rock, 
quite  alone ;  for  Billy  was  one  of  the 
happy  bathers  in  the  shining  spring- 
pond.  It  was  against  him  she  felt 
most  bitter.  He  was  her  own,  own 

%. 


A     JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

brother;  yet  there  he  was  quite  at 
home  with  the  enemy,  even  some- 
times pushing  the  boat  which  held 
that  "nasty  Miss  Summer,"  who  was 
at  the  root  of  all  her  trouble.  She 
felt  sure  she  could  have  been  happy 
with  Plum  Blossom  and  Iris  had  not 
Summer,  in  some  way,  influenced 
them  against  her.  And  as  for  dear, 
little,  fat  Juji,  why,  she  just  loved 
him! — even  if  he  did  scream  every 
time  she  came  near  him  and  ran 
from  her  as  fast  as  his  little,  fat, 
frightened  legs  could  carry  him. 
Summer  had  told  him  Marion  was 
a  fox-girl,  who  would  bite  him  if 
she  caught  him.  At  first  Juji  had 
regarded  this  announcement  with 
doubt.  Full  of  confidence  because 
of  the  winning,  smiling  face  of 
Marion,  he  had  even  timorously  gone 
into  her  arms.  Lo  and  behold,  she 
had  indeed  attempted  to  "bite" 
56 


BLO 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSO 

him,  for  such  the  kiss  had  seemed  to 
Juji,  who  had  never  been  kissed  in 
all  his  life.  After  that,  Juji  had  kept 
his  distance  from  the  "yellow-haired 
fox-girl." 

There  was  a  sudden  squeal  of  de- 
light from  the  pond.  Something 
flashed  in  the  sun  a  moment.  Then 
over  went  the  sampan  in  which  the 
three  little  Japanese  girls  were  seat- 
ed. Billy  had  tipped  it  over,  im- 
mersing the  three  girls,  who  came  up 
shaking  their  little  black  heads,  and 
swam  towards  the  raft,  upon  which 
they  clambered. 

Leading  from  the  booth  to  the 
shore  was  a  little  arched  bridge,  part, 
indeed,  of  the  pleasure-booth.  Sus- 
pended between  a  pole  on  shore  and 
another  half-way  out  in  the  water, 
was  a  long,  delightful  bamboo  rest. 
The  gymnastic  Taro  would  climb  out 
on  this  pole  as  easily  as  a  kitten;  he 

5  57 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

would  twist  and  twirl  about,  and 
end  with  his  head  hanging  over  the 
water  and  his  feet  clinging  to  the 
pole.  Each  time  he  performed  these 
tricks  Billy  was  filled  with  an  in- 
tense ambition  to  transport  his  step- 
brother to  America,  to  exhibit  him 
to  his  old  school-mates. 

Now  the  rock  on  which  Marion  sat 
was  close  to  the  shore  end  of  the 
bamboo  pole,  and  near  to  the  little 
arbor.  As  she  sat  there  in  sad  de- 
jection, Taro  softly  clambered  up 
from  the  water  end  of  the  bamboo 
pole  and  crawled  along  the  ridge  un- 
til he  stood  over  the  head  of  the  un- 
conscious girl.  His  body  swayed, 
until  he  rested  in  his  favorite  posi- 
tion and  hung  by  his  feet  from  the 
pole.  One  quick,  sharp  push,  and 
the  next  moment  the  little  girl  on 
the  rock  was  plunged  head-foremost 
into  the  water  below.  Taro  had  re- 
58 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

venged  the  upsetting  of  his  sisters 
from  the  boat  by  Billy.  The  latter 
went  suddenly  white  to  his  lips  and 
began  swimming  frantically  in  the 
direction  of  his  sister. 

One  fleeting  glimpse  of  the  boy's 
horrified  face  Taro  had;  then  he  un- 
derstood. Marion  could  not  swim! 

On  the  instant  he  threw  up  his 
arms  and  dived.  Never  had  Billy 
seen  anything  so  quick  as  that 
lightning  dive  and  swift  return  of 
Taro.  He  supported  his  step-sister 
while  he  swam  with  her  to  the 
shore.  She  had  been  hardly  a  min- 
ute in  the  water;  but  she  was  fright- 
ened. Her  little  hands  and  face 
were  blue,  her  teeth  were  chattering, 
and  she  was  shivering  and  crying 
hysterically,  although  it  was  sultry 
and  warm.  The  first  words  she 
spoke  were: 

"  Billy—I— I'm  all  right.  Pi-please 
59 


. 

A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

don't  fight  Taro  about  it,"  for  Billy 
was  pugnaciously  regarding  his  step- 
brother. 

The  other  children  were  now  all 
about  her,  Plum  Blossom's  motherly 
little  face  looking  very  concerned. 
The  water  was  dripping  from  the 
kimonos  of  the  three  Japanese  girls. 
As  they  looked  at  the  drenched 
Marion  a  kindred  feeling  must  have 
possessed  them  simultaneously,  for 
suddenly  they  all  laughed  outright 
in  unison,  Marion  joining  with  them. 
She  was  almost  glad  of  the  adventure 
now,  as  she  said: 

"If  I  had  on  a  kimono — I'd — I'd 
go  into  the  water  with  you." 

"You  want  keemono?"  inquired 
Taro,  eagerly. 

"Yes,"  she  nodded. 

He  brought  her  his  own. 

She  laughed  with  delight,  and  Iris 
and  Plum  Blossom  clapped  their 
60 


-HI 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


hands.  What  fun  to  see  the  yellow- 
haired  one  arrayed  in  a  boy's  kimono! 
But  Marion  had  disappeared  with  the 
garment.  A  few  minutes  later  she 
returned  clad  in  it,  to  the  uproarious 
delight  of  every  one. 

Taro  himself  wore  with  great  pride 
one  of  Billy's  bathing-suits. 

As  the  sampan  moved  down  the 
surface  of  the  tiny  lake,  Marion  con- 
fided to  Plum  Blossom,  who  held  one 
of  her  hands,  while  Iris  held  the 
other : 

"  I  wanted  so  much  to  go  into  the 
water,  but  —  I  thought  you  didn't 
want  me.  Oh,  dear,  I  feel  so  comfy 
in  this  dear  old  loose  thing,"  she 
added. 

"Tha's  nize,"  said  Plum  Blossom. 

"Vaery  nize,"  agreed  Iris. 

Summer,  sitting  in  the  stern  of  the 
boat,  opened  her  paper  parasol.  The 
sight  of  it  sent  the  little  girls  into 
6i 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


another  peal  of  laughter.  When 
Billy  upset  the  boat  the  parasol  had 
shared  the  fate  of  its  owner  as  it  was 
thrust  into  her  obi  in  front.  The 
effect  of  its  bath  was  ludicrously  ap- 
parent. Being  of  paper,  it  split  in 
several  places  as  she  opened  it. 
Now  as  she  held  it  loftily  above  her 
head,  water  of  several  shades  of 
color  rolled  from  it  to  splash  upon 
its  haughty  owner,  for  just  at  this 
moment  Summer  was  endeavoring 
to  make  an  impression  upon  the 
sisters.  She  had  succeeded  beyond 
her  expectations.  The  boat  rocked 
with  the  wild  gale  of  their  mirth. 


IT  was  the  day  after  Marion's  acci- 
dent that  the  baby  was  lost,  or, 
rather,  "shtolen,"  as  the  nurse-maid 
put  it. 

Norah  had  taken  it  in  its  carriage 
a  short  distance  from  the  house.  In  •  . 
Chicago  it  had  been  her  daily  duty 
to  push  the  baby  up  and  down  the 
street  on  which  they  lived.  The 
Kurukawas'  garden  was  of  a  fair  size, 
but  its  dimensions  were  limited  for 
Norah's  purpose.  Moreover,  the  girl 
was  intensely  homesick  "for  the 
soight  of  the  face  of  a  foine  £op!" 

When  she  had  gone  to  America, 
one  of  the  first  things  she  noticed 
63 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

was  that  all,  or  nearly  all,  the  police- 
men were  Irish.  The  idea  occurred 
to  her  that  it  might  be  the  same  in 
Japan.  And  so,  unmindful  of  the 
instructions  of  her  mistress  not  to 
leave  the  vicinity  of  the  house,  Norah 
sallied  forth,  and  wandered  on  until 
she  came  to  the  main  street  of  the 
little  town.  The  news  of  the  pres- 
ence in  the  street  of  a  most  ex- 
traordinary Booking  foreign  devil,  a 
giant  in  sizfe,  pushing  an  outlandish 
jinrikisha  with  a  pale-faced,  yellow- 
hair  btfoy  in  it,  spread  like  wild- 
fire through  the  surrounding  streets. 
Soon  a  small  mob  of  children  and 
a  number  of  curious  men  and  wom- 
en were  following  and  surrounding 
Norah.  Some  of  them  ran  ahead  of 
her,  impeding  the  progress  of  the 
baby  -  carriage.  At  first  Norah  re- 
garded them  with  inherent  good- 
humor,  but  after  a  time  she  became 
64 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

embarrassed  and  annoyed.  A  little 
girl  of  about  seven  years  had  actually 
climbed  over  the  front  of  the  car- 
riage, and  there  she  perched,  regard- 
ing the  baby  with  great  curiosity. 

Norah  stopped.  One  hand  sought 
her  plump  hip,  and  the  other  doubled 
to  a  fist,  which  she  shook. 

"Now,  you  young  spalpeen,"  said 
she,  "you  climb  down,  or  I'll  put 
you  down  none  too  gently.  Off  with 
you,  you  hay  then  imp!" 

The  little  girl  regarded  her  unblink- 
ingly,  but  the  surrounding  crowd 
began  to  jabber  excitedly.  Norah 
turned  upon  them. 

"Shure,  it's  a  fine  lot  of  haythens 
you  be!  wid  nothing  better  to  con- 
sarn  yersilves  wid  than  the  business 
of  others.  Off  wid  you  all,  or  Oi'll 
make  short  worruk  of  the  boonch  of 
yez." 

A  threatening  movement  cleared 
65 


JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 


a  space  about  her.  Her  fighting 
blood  was  up.  She  began  to  lay 
about  her  in  every  direction,  spank- 
ing a  little  boy  on  her  right,  pushing 
along  by  the  ear  another,  and  cuff- 
ing a  giggling  maiden  of  fifteen  sum- 
mers, whose  tittering  had  for  some 
time  irritated  ner.  But  in  attacking 
the  children  following  her,  Norah 
made  a  mistake.  The  "haythens," 
merely  curious  at  first,  now  became 
aggressive.  In  a  few  minutes  there 
was  a  concerted  rush  in  the  direction 
of  the  Irish  girl.  She  took  fright  at 
this,  and  at  the  top  of  her  voice 
shrieked: 

"Police!  Police!  Murdher!  Hilp!" 
Her    cry    had    immediate    effect. 
Some  one  came  running  towards  her. 
The  crowd  fell  back,  and  indeed  dis- 
persed almost  in  silence  at  the  ap- 
proach of  the  little,  uniformed  figure 
which    descended    upon    them.     He 
66 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

made  his  way  straight  to  Norah  with 
wonder.  She  watched  the  magic 
effect  of  his  coming  upon  the  crowd, 
and  as  he  came  up  to  her  she  spoke 
admiringly : 

"Shure  it's  the  Mikado  himself 
yer  afther  being,  I  should  think, 
from  the  grand  way  you're  threated." 

He  touched  her  arm  with  a  hand 
of  authority. 

j  "I  have  the  honor  to  arrest  you," 
said  he,  in  distinct  English. 

"Arrest    me!"    shouted    the    now 
irate  Norah.     "And  who  in  Hai 
are  you?" 

"  Police, "  said  the  little  man,  shortly. 

"You  a  policeman!"  cried  Norah. 
"Now  the  saints  forgive  you  for  the 
lie!  Shure,  I  niver  saw  a  policeman 
of  your  sawed-off  size  before!  Where 
I  come  from — " 

But  the  grip  upon  her  arm  had 

tightened.    Indignantly  Norah  sought 

67 


$f° 

ff*  '     -  m^y 


•2* 

xSf*J 


JAPANESE 


)SSOM 


to  withdraw,  but  to  her  astonish- 
ment she  could  not  move.  The  little, 
"sawed-off"  policeman  held  her  in  a 
tighter  grip  than  any  Irish  policeman 
could  have  done.  Norah's  red  face 
blazed. 

"It's  yersilf  that  '11  be  arrested  for 
the  outrage,"  she  said,  and  then  be- 
gan to  wail  aloud  in  most  distressing 
accents. 

"Oh,  wirrah,  wirrah,  wirrah!  And 
why  did  I  iver  lave  the  ould  coun- 
try ?  And  why  did  I  iver  come  to 
this  haythen  land  of  savages  ?  Shure 
it  was  love  for  the  innocent  babe 
that—" 

She  stopped  and  turned  to  look  for 
the  baby.  Carriage  and  child  were 
gone! 

A  frightful  scream  escaped  the  lips 
of  the  terrified  girl.     Then  she  col- 
lapsed heavily  in  the  arms  of   the 
little  "haythen"  policeman. 
68 


VII 


IT  would  be  cruel  to  dwell  upon 
the  sufferings  of  Norah.  She  came 
to  consciousness  while  being  carried 
bodily  through  the  streets  by  half  a 
dozen  of  "the  finest"  in  Japan.  But 
she  retained  consciousness  only  long 
enough  to  give  vent  to  another  ter- 
rific shriek  and  then  faint  again. 
When  next  she  came  to,  she  was  in 
the  "dhirty  hay  then  doongeon,"  as 
she  termed  it.  There  Mr.  Kurukawa 
found  her,  secured  her  release,  and 
took  her  home. 

But  the  baby!  It  was  only  a  little 
after  nine  when  Norah  had  gone  forth 
so  bravely.  By  five  in  the  afternoon 


' 


**-*-.'    . 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

the  search  for  the  baby  had  not  end- 
ed. Everybody  in  the  village  ap- 
peared to  have  had  the  baby  at  one 
time  or  another  through  the  day. 
The  little  one  had  been  passed  from 
house  to  house  as  an  object  of  curi- 
osity. Its  clothing  was  a  marvel  to 
all  Japanese  eyes;  its  blue  eyes  were 
extraordinary;  its  little  wisps  of  yel- 
low hair  the  most  amazing  of  sights 
ever  seen  in  the  little  town;  and  its 
milk-white  skin  positively  unreal. 
Japanese  mothers  brought  their  own 
brown  offspring  and  put  them  side  by 
side  with  the  little  white  baby.  They 
patted  its  little,  chubby  hands,  and 
put  their  fingers  into  its  mouth.  The 
latter  never  failed  to  please  the  Kuru- 
kawa  baby,  which  immediately  fell 
to  sucking  the  finger  greedily.  After 
a  time,  however,  as  no  milk  was  forth- 
coming from  the  numberless  fingers 
thus  offered,  the  baby  became  cross. 
70 

'M^M--*'--:., 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

Then  nobody  wanted  it  any  longer. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kurukawa  and  a  po- 
liceman went  about  the  town  hunting 
for  the  child.  The  mother  was  al- 
most prostrated,  but  insisted  on  ac- 
companying her  husband.  As  they 
turned  away  from  each  house  the 
mother  grew  paler  and  more  fearful. 
Finally  the  policeman  suggested  that 
they  abandon  the  search  until  the 
following  morning.  It  was  getting 
towards  night,  and  the  Japanese  re- 
tire early. 

The  parents  would  not  hear  of 
this.  They  would  search  all  night  if 
necessary.  The  policeman  shrugged 
his  shoulders.  Very  well,  he  had 
other  duties.  As  the  honorable  ex- 
cellencies could  see  for  themselves, 
the  streets  were  already  almost  de- 
serted. Indeed,  there  were  only  a 
few  children  left  yonder  in  the  street. 
The  father  and  mother  turned  al- 

•  11 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

most  aimlessly  towards  the  place 
where  a  number  of  children  were 
playing  skip  rope.  One  little  girl 
after  another  would  jump  back  and 
forth  over  the  swinging  rope.  One 
girl  seemed  less  nimble  than  the 
others.  She  slipped  once,  and  trod 
on  the  rope  often.  As  the  Kuru- 
kawas  came  nearer  to  the  group 
they  noticed  her  because  she  seemed 
humpbacked.  But  the  hump  upon 
her  back  bobbed  and  moved  up  and 
down.  When  she  stopped  skipping 
and  came  to  their  side  of  the  rope 
the  hump  upon  her  back  moved  a 
bit  higher,  until  it  rested  against  her 
neck.  It  was  a  little  baby's  head! 

Mrs.  Kurukawa  uttered  a  faint 
cry  and  rushed  upon  the  little  girl, 
pitifully  trying  to  drag  the  baby 
from  her  back.  It  was  sound  asleep 
and  seemed  perfectly  comfortable 
and  none  the  worse  for  its  late  ad- 
72 


ventures.  Mrs.  Kurukawa  hugged  it 
wildly. 

"Oh,  my  little,  little  baby!"  she 
sobbed.  It  opened  its  sleepy  blue 
eyes  and  gooed  and  gurgled  softly. 

From  this  time  forth  the  baby  be- 
came the  centre  of  attraction  to  all 
the  family.  Even  Juji  seemed  to  be 
conscious  of  its  enviable  position. 
Was  it  not  surrounded  at  all  times 
by  the  little  girls?  Was  it  not 
hugged  and  petted  in  a  way  he  had 
considered  due  only  to  him  from  his 
sisters  ? 

He  had  watched  with  wonder  the 
queer  little  plaything  ever  since  it 
had  come  into  the  house.  It  was  no 
larger  than  some  dolls  his  sisters  had ; 
but  when  it  opened  its  mouth  it 
could  make  a  noise  almost  as  loud 
as  Juji  himself.  In  fact,  its  noises 
and  its  limbs  and  everything  about 
it  had  an  absorbing  interest  for  Juji. 
6  73 


JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

began  to  hang  about  its  vicinity. 
Norah  would  discover  him  pressed 
up  close  to  her  knee,  his  little,  serious 
slits  of  eyes  intent  upon  every  move- 
ment of  the  baby. 

"Bless  his  heart,"  she  would  say. 
"Shure  the  little  lamb  loves  his  wee 
brother.     Then  give  him  a  nice  kiss," 
7/7-1  whereupon  she  would  put  the  baby's 

face  close  to  Juji.  The  latter  would 
rub  his  nose  against  the  fat,  soft,  baby 
cheek.  He  must  have  pondered  over 
his  little  step-brother,  for  one  night 
Norah  was  awakened  by  strange 
little  sounds  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
baby's  bed.  She  reached  over  in  the 
dark,  found  and  enclosed  a  little 
hand  in  her  large  one.  Then  she 
saw  a  little  figure  in  bed  with  the 
baby.  Juji  was  sitting  up  and  lean- 
ing over  the  baby.  In  his  hand  was 
a  bottle,  the  end  of  which  was 
thrust  into  the  baby's  mouth! 
74 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 


Norah  was  too  astonished  at  first 
to  do  anything  but  watch  the  child. 
Then  she  seized  him. 

"You  lamb!"  said  she.  "If  you 
aren't  the  swatest  haythen,  shure  I 
don't  know  who  is!" 

"Opey  mouth,"  said  little  Juji,  in 
English,  and  pushed  the  bottle  tow- 
ards Norah 's  lips. 

He  had  seen  the  nurse-maid  do 
this  with  the  baby,  and  had  heard 
her  say: 

''Opey  mouthie,  lovey!" 

He  had  found  the  bottle,  and 
while  all  were  asleep  and  there  was 
no  one  to  interfere  with  him,  he  had 
sought  to  feed  his  baby  step-brother. 


VIII 

MARION  came  flying  into  the 
garden,  her  cheeks  aglow,  her 
bright  eyes  dancing. 

"Iris — Blossom!"  she  called,  ex- 
citedly. 

She  could  hardly  get  her  breath  to 
tell  them  the  great  news.  In  her 
hand  she  waved  aloft  a  sheet  of  paper. 

"What  ees't?"  asked  Plum  Blos- 
som, puzzled. 

"A  letter,"  cried  Marion.  "Guess 
who  from?" 

"Gozo,"  both  answered  at  once. 

Marion  nodded. 

"Right,"  she  said,  "and  to  me! — 
me  /"  She  began  dancing  airily  about, 
76 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

waving  the  letter  triumphantly  and 
then  caressing  it. 

Iris  shrieked  the  news  across  the 
garden  to  Taro,  pirouetting  on  his 
beloved  pole.  He  leaped  down  and 
came  running  to  join  them. 

"Why  he  ride  unto  you?"  de- 
manded Plum  Blossom,  enviously. 

"Well,  now,  I'll  tell  you,"  con- 
fided Marion,  sweetly.  "You  know 
ever  since  we've  been  here  I've 
heard  nothing  but  Gozo,  Gozo,  Gozo, 
from  you  all.  Goodness!  you  never 
speak  a  sentence  without  'Gozo'  in 
it.  Well,  I  began  to  think  him  a 
real  hero,  and  I  just  longed  to  know 
him.  Besides"  —  she  lowered  her 
voice — "  I  did  think  he  ought  to  be 
warned  about  that — about  Summer!" 

"About  Summer?"  repeated  Plum 
Blossom,  hazily. 

"We  kinno  understan'.  You  spik 
so  fast." 

77 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


"Oh,  dear,  don't  you  see?  Why, 
she's  not  good  enough  for  a  hero — 
now  is  she?" 

"Wha's  'hero'?"  asked  Taro,  dis- 
gustedly. Had  they  brought  him 
from  his  favorite  sport  merely  to 
bother  him  with  words  he  could  not 
understand. 

"A  hero  is — is — well,  he's  some- 
thing grand/1' 

Iris  yawned  sleepily.  She  had 
forgotten  all  about  the  letter  and 
now  was  lying  on  the  grass  blinking 
sleepily  at  the  blue  sky  overhead. 

"You're  not  listening,  Iris,"  said 
Marion,  frowning  upon  her  and  forc- 
ing her  to  get  up. 

"Don't  you  want  to  hear  Gozo's  . 
letter?" 

"Yes,  yes — spik  it,"  urged  Plum 
Blossom. 

"But  I  didn't  finish  what  I  was 
saying — explaining  why  he  wrote  me. 
78 


/ 

A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


- 

Don't  you  see,  /  wrote  to  him  first. 
Yes,  I  did,  too,  I  wrote  him  the 
longest  letter,  and  I  told  him  about 
you  all  —  and  —  and  —  can  he  read 
English?" 

Billy  had  joined  the  group,  and  he 
spoke  tip  now: 

"Ah,  sis,  go  on  now  —  read  his  an- 
swer. What's  he  say?" 

"But  I  can't  read  it.  See,  it's  in 
Japanese." 

"You  read  it,  Taro." 

"Me?"  Taro  seized  the  letter, 
and  began  laboriously  reading  it  in 
Japanese. 

"Well,  well,  what  does  he  say?" 
asked  Marion,  excitedly. 

Plum  Blossom  looked  over  her 
brother's  shoulder  and  translated  in 
this  wise  : 

"M-M-MADAME,  —  Your  letter  got  — 
"  Yours  truly  forever, 

"  KURUKAWA   GOZO." 

79 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

"Is  that  all?"  inquired  Marion, 
blankly,  her  blue  eyes  filling  with 
tears. 

"Postscript,"  shouted  Taro,  then 
read  it:  "Write  agin,  thangs!" 

Marion  pouted  and  sat  down  in 
deep  dejection.  / 

"Well,  I  won't  do  it,  if  that's  the 
way  he  answers  my  letters." 

She  took  the  letter  and  went  to  her 
mother. 


IX 

ON  the  1 5th  of  April  the  chil- 
dren dressed  themselves  in  pink- 
and- white  kimonos,  simulating  cherry 
blossoms,  and  strolled  abroad  for 
hanami  (flower  picnic).  They  had 
been  looking  forward  to  this  delight- 
ful occasion  for  weeks.  The  cos- 
tumes had  been  prepared  by  their 
grandmother  some  days  in  advance 
of  the  festival.  Even  Marion  had  a 
little,  white  crepe  kimono  embroidered 
with  the  pale  pink  flower,  and  with 
the  sash  or  obi  of  the  same  shade. 
She  made  quite  a  picture,  as  with  her 
eyes  dancing  and  shining  she  came 
running  into  the  garden  to  join  her 
81 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

step-sisters.  The  wings  of  the  dainty 
sleeves  of  her  dress  fluttered  back 
and  forth.  Her  cheeks  were  the 
color  of  the  cherry  blossom,  and  the 
golden  crown  of  her  hair,  drawn  up 
into  the  Japanese  fashion,  glistened 
in  the  sun.  Plum  Blossom  wore  a 
cr£pe  silk  gown  of  deep  pink,  shad- 
ing at  the  ends  to  white.  The  sash 
was  white  with  pale  green  leaves 
and  stalks  embroidered  on  it.  Iris, 
too,  was  in  pink,  and  the  bow  of  her 
obi  was  tied  to  imitate  a  cherry  blos- 
som. The  three  little  girls  had  flow- 
ers in  their  hair — cherry  blossoms,  of 
course.  They  waited  now  in  the 
garden  for  their  brothers  and  parents. 
As  the  festival  was  new  to  Marion, 
she  was  the  most  eager  of  the  girls. 

From  above  their  heads  a  voice 
rang  out: 

"Here,  you,  girls!  get  your  masks 
and  petals  ready." 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


called 
about 


"Where  are  you,  Billy?" 
Marion,  looking  everywhere 
them. 

"Here — up  in  the  tree." 

He  was  perched  in  an  old  cherry- 
tree,  where  with  vandal  hand  he  was 
plucking  the  blossoms. 

"O-o-oo!"  exclaimed  Plum  Blos- 
som. "You  ba'  boy!  No  can  pig 
flower.  Tha's  nod  ride!" 

"Why,  father  said  we  were  to  fill 
our  sleeves — get  all  we  could,"  called 
down  Billy. 

"Yes,  pig  from  ground,"  said 
Plum  Blossom;  "never  mus'  pig 
from  tree." 

"Billy,  you  vandal,  what  are  you 
doing  up  there?" 

Mr.  Kurukawa  had  joined  the  chil- 
dren in  the  garden.  He,  too,  was  in 
Japanese  dress. 

"Why,"  said  Billy,  "you  said—" 

"Now,  my  boy,  come  down." 
83 


JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


Very  promptly  Billy  obeyed. 

Taking  his  step-son  by  the  hand, 
Mr.  Kurukawa  taught  him  a  lesson 
known  to  all  Japanese  children. 

"Never  pluck  the  flowers  wanton- 
ly, least  of  all  the  sacred  cherry  blos- 
som. When  you  wish  the  flower  in 
your  house,  pluck  out  one  branch, 
one  flower.  See,  you  have  filled  the 
front  of  your  kimono,  your  sleeves, 
and  your  obi  with  the  blossoms. 
Look  at  them!" 

He  held  up  the  crushed  branches 
to  view.  They  drooped  almost  re- 
proachfully at  Billy. 

"But,  father,"  he  began  again. 
"You  did  tell  me—" 

"To  gather  all  the  cherry-blossom 
petals  you  could.  See,  the  ground 
is  thick  with  them." 

"But  they  are  all  apart.  They 
have  no  stalks." 

Mr.  Kurukawa  stooped  and  filled 
84 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


his  hands  full  of  petals.  He  held 
them  a  moment  and  then  lightly 
tossed  them  into  the  air.  j/  \ 

"  That  is  how  we  want  them,  boy. 
We  use  them  like  confetti.  Now  fill 
all  your  sleeves,  children.  Get  as 
many  as  you  can,  and  then  we'll 
start." 

Soon  the  long  sleeves  of  their 
dresses  were  filled  with  the  petals, 
and  hung  like  little  pillows.  Mrs. 
Kurukawa  was  the  last  to  join  the 
merry  party.  All  the  children  helped 
her  to  fill  her  sleeves,  for  she,  too, 
wore  the  national  kimono. 

"Here  are  your  masks,  children," 
said  the  father.  With  laughing  chat- 
ter they  fastened  on  the  grotesque 
masks  and  clambered  into  the  jin- 
rikishas.  It  was  a  joyful  day. 

They  passed  numbers  of  picnick- 
ers, and  exchanged  showers  of  cherry- 
blossom  petals  with  them. 
85 


A     JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

They  ate  a  delicious  luncheon  un- 
der a  tree  fairly  weighted  down  with 
the  heavenly  flower.  While  they 
were  in  the  midst  of  their  repast, 
Taro  and  Billy  mounted  into  the  tree 
and  shook  it  till  the  lunch  was  al- 
most hidden  under  the  petals,  and 
the  heads  of  all  were  crowned  in 
cherry  pink. 

The  petals  they  slipped  into  their 
food  purposely,  declaring  that  it 
added  a  delicious  taste.  Then  the 
children  played  battledore  and  shut- 
tlecock. Later,  there  being  a  pleas- 
ant wind,  Mr.  Kurukawa  sent  up  a 
kite.  Billy  was  permitted  to  hold 
the  string.  This  was  great  fun,  es- 
pecially when  Taro's  kite  had  a  race 
with  Billy's,  and  finally  won.  By 
four  in  the  afternoon  they  were  all 
so  refreshingly  tired  that  nobody 
wanted  to  go  home,  and  soon  "fa- 
ther" was  besieged  for  a  story. 
86 


A     JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


"Make  it  modern,  father,"  said 
Billy,  "for  we  like  that  kind  best." 

"Well,  let's  see.  What  shall  it  be 
about?" 

"War,"  shouted  Taro. 

For  a  while  there  was  silence,  and 
Mr.  Kurukawa  looked  very  grave. 
He  was  thinking  of  Gozo. 

"Very  well,"  said  he,  after  a  mo- 
ment's thought.  "I  will  tell  you  a 
true  story  of  to-day  which  has  to  do 
with  a  war." 

"Make  it  very,  very  long,  father," 
said  Plum  Blossom. 

"And  exciting,"  said  Taro. 

"With  a  little  girl  in  it,"  said  Iris. 

"No,   no,   a  liddle  boy,"  growled 


"It's  about  a  little  woman,"  said 
Mr.  Kurukawa,  "and  she  was  called 
'The  Widow  of  Sanyo.'" 


T] 


HIS  is  the  story  the  Japanese 
father  told,  in  English,  for  his 
own  children  understood  the  lan- 
guage better  than  they  spoke  it. 

"You  must  know,  children,  that 
all  loyal  Japanese  love  and  reverence 
Ten-shi-sama  (the  Mikado).  No  true 
Japanese  would  hesitate  to  give  his 
life  for  the  father  of  us  all.  That  is 
why  our  boys  go  to  war  with  faces 
shining  like  the  sun.  That  is  why 
we  bid  them  go,  and  do  not  weep  be- 
cause we  love  them.  We  are  proud 
and  glad  to  give  them  for  such 
service." 

"Father,"  put  in  little  Iris  very 
88 


gently,    "we   are   glad 
Gozo,  are  we  not?" 

He  hesitated  a  moment,  and  then 
said,  simply: 

"  Yes,  my  child.     But  this 
not  of  Gozo." 

It  was  the  first  time  since  his 
turn  that  he  had  mentioned  his  son 
name,  and  he  did  it  without  any  sign 
of  bitterness.     His  wife  reached  out 
and  sought  his  hand,  which  she  held 
for  a  moment  closely. 

"Go  on,"  urged  Billy.  "What  do 
you  want  to  interrupt  for,  Iris?" 

She  leaned  against  her  father. 
He  put  his  arm  about  her. 

"Ten  million  egscuse,"  said  she  to 
Billy. 

"  Where  does  the  widow  come  in?" 
asked  Billy. 

"Well,  she  was  not  a  widow  at 
the  beginning.  She  was  just  a  very 
young  and  very  beautiful  girl.  But 


& 


JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


she  had  the  spirit  of  a  man.  You 
see,  before  she  came,  her  parents  had 
prayed  for  a  son  to  give  to  the  service 
Ten-shi-sama ;  but  they  were  un- 
fortunate. Their  gods  gave  them 
only  a  girl,  and  they  never  felt  quite 
the  same  to  her  as  they  would  to  a 
boy.  They  were  very  powerful  peo- 
ple, and  of  noble  ancestry,  so  they 
did  not  wish  their  race  to  die  out. 
They  prayed  constantly  for  a  son, 
and  all  they  got  was  one  daughter. 
Quite  unfairly,  they  neglected  the 
girl,  just  as  if  it  were  her  fault  that 
she  were  not  born  a  boy.  She  grew 
up  in  the  great  shiro  (palace)  all 
alone,  under  the  care  of  servants  and 
tutors.  None  of  the  relatives  cared 
to  see  her.  Her  mother  died  when 
she  was  born,  and  her  father,  being 
in  the  cabinet  service  of  the  Mika- 
do, rarely  saw  her.  But  though  a 
maiden,  as  I  have  said,  she  had  the 
90 


=/ 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

soul  of  a  man,  and  she  yearned  to  do 
the  deeds  of  a  man  and  a  hero. 
Every  morning  of  her  life,  as  a  little 
girl,  she  would  prostrate  herself  be- 
fore her  shrine  and  beseech  the  gods 
to  perform  some  miracle  whereby  she 
might  indeed  become  a  man.  But 
that  was  a  child's  prayer,  and  of 
course  vain.  So  from  childhood  she 
came  to  womanhood.  Looking  one 
day  into  her  mirror,  she  beheld  the 
most  beautiful  face  she  had  ever 
seen.  Hitherto  she  had  scorned  to 
loiter  over  her  mirror.  Her  thoughts 
were  on  other  matters  than  her  looks, 
she  told  herself.  But  this  day  she 
picked  up  her  mirror  on  a  sud- 
den impulse,  and  the  face  which 
looked  back  at  her  so  enthralled 
her  that  she  could  not  put  it 
down. 

"'Why,'  said  she,  'I  am  the  most 
mtiful    maiden    in    Japan!' 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

a  long  time  she  continued  to  look 
at  her  face.  Then  she  spoke  again : 

"'And  to  think,'  said  she,  'that  no 
one  but  my  servants  have  ever  seen 
me!'" 

"What  did  she  look  like?"  asked 
Marion. 

"  Well,  let  me  see.  I  do  not  know 
whether  Americans  would  regard  her 
as  the  highest  type  of  beauty,  but  to 
the  Japanese  mind  she  would  have 
been  considered  peerless.  Her  hair 
was  so  black  and  shiny  it  was  like 
lacquer.  Sometimes  when  her  maid 
would  take  it  down  it  fell  to  her 
knees  in  a  perfect  glory  of  ebony. 
Her  eyes  were  of  the  same  color,  al- 
most pure  black,  and  they  were  very 
long  and  poetic  looking,  the  thick 
lashes  veiling  them.  Her  brows  were 
perfectly  formed,  a  slim,  silky  black 
line  above  the  eyes.  Her  nose  was 
thin  and  very  delicate.  Her  mouth 
92 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

was  small,  the  lower  lip  a  trifle  point- 
ed, curling  up  just  the  least  bit  at 
the  corners.  The  lips  were  red  as 
blood.  The  shape  of  her  face  was 
oval,  though  her  chin  was  delicately 
pointed.  And  she  had  tiny  pink 
ears,  as  pretty  as  a  baby's,  and  small, 
exquisite  hands." 

"Kiyo,"  said  Mrs.  Kurukawa,  gen- 
tly, "who  is  this  Japanese  Venus?" 
She  smiled. 

"The  Widow  of  Sanyo,"  he  re- 
plied as  gently.  "This  is  as  she  ap- 
peared when  she  looked  at  her  own 
image  in  the  mirror. 

"Well,  it  was  on  that  very  day 
that  Japan  proclaimed  war  against 
China,  and  the  country  was  pulsing 
with  fever.  Haru,  as  her  name  was, 
had  spent  many  wretched  hours  in 
her  chamber.  Her  despair  and  im- 
patience at  being  unable  to  serve  the 
Mikado  and  her  country,  was  break- 
93 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

ing  her  heart.  What  could  she  do, 
a  helpless  maiden?  All  the  employ- 
ment left  to  women  she  scorned. 
She  wanted  to  do  something  more 
than  a  mere  woman  could  accom- 
plish. Her  soul  was  the  soul  of  a 
man,  not  a  maiden's.  All  day  she 
prayed,  and  all  night,  and  then  she 
looked  into  her  mirror  and  saw 
that  lovely  face!  Suddenly  the  face 
changed,  became  curiously  illumi- 
nated. A  great  idea  had  come  to 
her.  It  was  this: 

"The  gods  had  given  her  mar- 
vellous beauty.  What  man  could 
resist  her?  She  would  wed  a  man, 
bear  him  children,  and  give  them  all 
to  the  Mikado. 

"That  was  her  first  thought. 

"But  the  war  would  be  over  by 
the  time  her  children  were  grown — 
and  they  might  not  be  men! 

"No,  that  would  never  do! 
94 


i-^  1&»  J 
fep§^ 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


"A  better  way  presented  itself  to 
her.  She  sprang  wildly  to  her  feet, 
and  wildly  she  clapped  her  hands, 
so!" 

He  illustrated  her  action,  and  the 
children  did  likewise,  as  they  moved 
nearer  their  father  to  hear,  their  eyes 
wide  with  excitement. 

"  Her  servants  came  running  to 
answer  her  summons.  She  bade 
them  dress  her  in  the  most  beautiful 
and  luxurious  garments.  At  once  a 
dozen  maids  waited  on,  her.  One 
brushed  her  glossy  hair,  dressed  it  in 
the  most  becoming  mode,  placed 
long,  golden  daggers  and  pins  with 
sparkling  stones  glistening  in  them, 
and  on  either  side  of  her  ears  set 
precious  kanzashi.  Another  mani- 
cured, perfumed,  and  massaged  her 
little  hands.  Still  another  softly 
kneaded  her  face  until  the  blood 
sprang  to  the  surface,  and  made  it 
95 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 


more  beautiful  than  any  paint  could 
do.  Then  they  robed  her  in  a  rosy 
gown  —  one  fit  only  for  a  princess  — 
as  perhaps  she  was."  / 

He  paused  here,  and  the  impatient 
children  prompted  him. 

"Well—  well?"  / 

"What  did  she  do  then?" 

"She  was  carried  from  the  house 
and  gently  lifted  into  a  gorgeous 
norimono.'^ 

"Anoriihono!"  cried  Billy.  "What's 
a  norimono?" 

"Why  —  a  little  —  something  they 
used  before  jinrikishas." 

"But  did  not  this  all  happen  re- 
cently?" It  was  Marion's  question. 

"Yes,  that's  so,"  admitted  the  ro- 
mancer. "Now  that  I  think  of  it, 
what  she  did  was  to  walk  down  to 
her  gate  and  allow  them  to  lift  her 
into  the  jinrikisha.  That's  where 
the  'lifting'  comes  in." 
96 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

"Then  where  did  she  go?" 

"I  know,"  said  Taro. 

"Where?"  queried  Billy. 

"She  go  ad  temple." 

"What  for?" 

"Pray  to  gods  mek  her  man  ride 
away." 

"Did  she,  father?" 

"No.     She  drove  to — "    Again  he 
paused. 

"Where?    Where?" 

"To  the  house  of  the  best  known 
Nakoda  in  the  town." 

"Nakoda!"     Even  Mrs.  Kurukawa 
echoed  the  word. 

"Professional  match-maker." 

"  Oh-h — what  did  she  want  there 
questioned  Marion. 

"A  husband,"  said  Mr.  Kuruka 
"Well,  in  she  walked,  and  the  Na- 
koda, when  he  beheld  her  glorious 
beauty,  was  overcome  with  the  honor 
of  her  presence  in  his  house.  Said  she  : 
97 


" '  Honorable  creature,  cease  to  de- 
grade yourself  at  my  insignificant 
feet.  Pray  arise.' 

"He  did  sp,  humbly  and  apolo- 
getically. 

"Now,  in 'America,  a  girl  might 
have  said:  'Have  you  any  husbands 
for  sale?'  In  Japan  the  girl  said: 
'Deign  to  prepare  a  look-at  meeting 
for  me.  I  wish  to  marry.' 

"Then  she  proceeded  to  explain 
herself  further  by  means  of  questions. 

"'Know  you  many  men  creatures 

depraved  of  mind  they  prefer  not 

go  to  the  war?' 

"'I  am,  alas,  acquainted  with 
many  such  depraved  reptiles,'  an- 
swered the  Nakoda. 

"'Ah!  Well,  it  is  such  a  one  I 
would  marry.  Do  you  think  I  can 
secure  such  a  husband  ?' 

" '  No  man  can  look  in  the  sublime 
direction  of  your  serenity  without 
98 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

immediately  being  willing  to  do  any- 
thing you  might  command,'  declared 
the  Nakoda. 

"'That  is  well,  then,'  she  smiled, 
graciously.  'Bring  forth  a  man- 
worm!' 

"Well,  a  man- worm  was  brought 
forth  and  he  fell  at  her  feet.  The 
thought  of  his  great  fortune  in  being 
able  to  marry  any  one  so  beautiful 
nearly  drove  him  out  of  his  senses. 

"They  were  married  at  once,  with- 
out much  ceremony,  and  she  took 
him  home.  He  was  like  one  in  a 
dream  of  heavenly  bliss.  Well,  the 
first  thing  she  said  to  him  as  they 
entered  the  palace  was: 

"'Man,  dost  thou  adore  me?' 

"  He  fell  on  his  face  and  kissed  the 
hem  of  her  robe." 

"Kiyo,  I  believe  you're  making  it 
all  up  as  you  go  along,"  interposed 
his  wife  here. 

99 


SSOM 


"Hush!  Hush!  We  are  coming 
to  the  thrilling  part." 

"What  a  story  to  tell  children!" 

"  When  does  the  war  begin  ?"  asked 
Billy. 

"Oh,  the  war  is  going  right  on 
now.  Well,  then,  he  fell  on  his  face ; 
she  graciously  bent  over  and  lifted 
up  his  head,  and  she  spoke  in  the 
most  wooing  of  voices : 

" '  If  you  of  a  truth  adore  me,  are 
you  ready  to  die  for  me?' 

"  He  said  he  wanted  to  live  for  her. 
She  shook  her  head,  and  said  she 
wanted  better  proof  of  his  affection 
than  that.  He  then  declared  he 
would  do  anything  she  asked. 

"She  thereupon  said:  'You  must 
be  a  soldier!'  At  this  he  began  to 
tremble,  for  he  was  a  great  coward 
at  heart.  However,  she  kept  him  in 
her  house  for  five  days,  teaching  him 
the  principles  of  bravery  and  valor. 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

At  the  end  of  that  time  she  had  so 
wrought  upon  his  feelings  that  she 
persuaded  him  to  enlist.  She  went 
in  person  to  see  him  march  away, 
which  he  did  quite  bravely  for  him! 
Her  last  words  were  the  noble  ones 
Japanese  women  say  to  their  men  at 
such  a  time :  '  I  give  you  to  Ten-shi- 
sama.  Come  not  back  to  me.  Glori- 
ous may  be  your  end.  The  blessings 
of  Shahra  upon  you.' 

"He  was  not  a  good  soldier;  he 
turned  out  to  be  a  wretched  one,  in- 
deed, and  in  a  short  time  was  killed. 
She  was  free  again  to  marry.  Then 
she  chose  another  man-worm,  and 
again  she  sacrificed  him  to  her  Em- 
peror, with  the  same  result.  He  was 
one  of  those  doomed  in  a  transport 
sunk  in  Chinese  waters.  She  mar- 
ried again,  and  her  third  husband 
was  killed.  Her  fourth  husband  was 
blown  to  atoms,  and  her  fifth  met 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

the  fate  of  the  first.  Her  sixth  died 
scarcely  six  months  later,  and  her 
seventh  died  of  melancholia  while  in 
Manchuria. 

"Now,  seven  is  a  lucky  number, 
and  she  stopped  there.  She  said: 
'If  I  marry  another  I  will  have  no 
more  luck.  He  will  live,  and  I  have 
given  seven  men  already  to  the  Em- 
peror. What  woman  of  Japan  has 
done  more?  Behold,  I  am  a  widow 
seven  times  over.' 

"That  is  why  she  is  called  'The 
Widow  of  Sanyo.'" 

So  the  story  ended. 

"Is  she  still  beautiful?"  questioned 
Plum  Blossom,  wistfully. 

"Very." 

"Ugh!"  said  Marion,  "I  think 
she's  horrid." 

Taro  rolled  into  Billy  on  the  grass. 

"I'll  be  the  next,"  said  Billy. 

Iris  was  softly  crying. 

102 


A     JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

"Why,  what's  the  matter?"  asked 
her  father. 

"Oh,  father,"  said  she,  "I — I'm 
afraid  that  she  was  the  fox-woman 
who  sent  away  our  Gozo — and  not — 
mother!" 

He  embraced  her. 

"There,  it  was  a  foolish  story." 

"And  told,"  said  his  wife,  "in  the 
way  an  American  would  tell  it — not 
a  Japanese!" 

' '  Hm ! "  Mr.  Kuruka wa  cleared  his 
throat.  "Well,  I  think  you'll  ad- 
mit I  began  in  the  most  approved 
Japanese  style,  but  as  I  went  on  I 
fell  under  your  American  influence, 
and  by  the  time  I  reached  the  end 
the  story  was  just  as  you  might  have 
told  it." 

They  gathered  up  their  baskets 
and  piled  them  into  the  jinrikishas. 
Juji  was  sound  asleep  on  the  grass 
The  cherry-blossom  petals  had  fall 

ay  *    -  -^"-   \  Tw5r£ « -v     ^"    * 

103 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

so  thickly  upon  him  that  he  seemed 
half  buried  in  them.  Mr.  Kurukawa 
bent  over  him  tenderly.  He  turned 
his  head  back  towards  his  wife;  at 
once  she  came  and  knelt  among  the 
petals  by  his  side.  His  voice  was 
husky. 

"  That  is  how  my  Gozo  looked  as  a 
little  boy,"  he  said,  softly. 

She  kissed  the  sleeping  Juji. 


w-i       i^P 


XI 


EFE  would   be   delightful  were  it 
made  up  entirely  of   flower  pic- 
nics.    But  even  in  the  land  of  sun- 
rise storms  must  come. 

The  little  family  of  Kurukawa, 
idling  and  playing  in  the  small  in- 
land town,  for  the  nonce  seemed  to 
put  behind  them  all  thought  of  care. 
Even  the  father,  in  the  first  few 
weeks  of  his  return,  refused  utterly 
to  do  otherwise  than  enjoy  what  he 
termed  his  "honeymoon"  with  his 
wife  and  children.  But  the  honey- 
moon season  began  to  wane.  It  was 
not  possible  for  any  Japanese,  how- 
ever optimistic  and  cheerful  in  tem- 
s  105 


* 


JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 


perament,  at  such  a  crisis  in  his 
nation's  history  to  be  free  from  care. 
Then,  was  not  Gozo  at  the  front? 
Mr.  Kumkawa  might  laugh  and  play 
aH  day  with  the  children,  but  at 
night,  when,  worn  out,  they  slept 
soundly  and  well,  he  would  lie  awake 
thinking  and  worrying.  At  first  it 
was  his  boy  Gozo  who  occupied  his 
night  thoughts  to  the  exclusion  of  all 
else.  After  all,  he  was  a  true  Jap- 
anese at  heart,  for,  although  father- 
like,  he  scarcely  dared  to  think  of 
the  possible  death  of  his  son,  yet  he 
was  glad  that  Gozo  was  serving  the 
Mikado.  All  the  papers,  local  and 
foreign,  he  could  get  he  read  with 
avidity.  Because  he  knew  it  would 
give  his  wife  pain,  he  read  them  at 
night  when  she  was  asleep.  After  a 
time  the  father-love  was  slowly  push- 
ed aside  for  a  greater,  deeper  emo- 
tion, the  longing  to  help  his  country. 
106 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

He  was  of  samurai  ancestry,  and 
patriotism  was  as  natural  and  deep- 
rooted  in  him  as  life  itself.  Yet  he 
had  married  a  woman  belonging  to  a 
country  that  believed  that  the  men 
of  his  age  did  their  duty  best  by  re- 
maining at  home,  the  protectors  of 
the  weak.  So  she  had  told  him 
many  times.  Often  he  had  believed 
himself  convinced  of  its  truth. 

But  reading  and  hearing  of  his 
countrymen's  sacrifices,  struggles, 
splendid  heroism  and  victories,  a 
wavering,  an  aching  grew  within  him 
to  emulate  their  example  and  give 
himself  to  the  glorious  service  of  his 
nation. 

A  Japanese  wife  would  have  shared 
in  his  confidence  at  this  time,  would 
have  understood  his  feelings  and  suf- 
fered with  him.  More,  she  would 
have  been  the  first  to  urge  him, 
command  him  to  leave  her. 
107 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


Mr.  Kurukawa  thought  he  under- 
stood completely  the  character  of  the 
American  woman  who  was  his  wife. 
Hence  he  hid  from  her  his  feelings. 

But  his  wife  was  more  sensitive 
than  he  knew.  Her  husband's  evi- 
dent depression  began  to  be  noticed 
by  her.  She  sought  the  cause,  and 
attributed  it  to  the  absence  of  Gozo. 
She,  too,  suffered  because  she  was 
the  innocent  cause  of  his  exile.  One 
night  there  was  a  moon  festival  in 
the  little  town.  The  people  gathered 
in  the  river  booths  and  drank  their 
sake  and  tea  in  the  moonlight.  She 
remarked  to  her  husband  that  more 
than  three-quarters  of  the  festival- 
makers  were  women.  He  had  turned 
about  with  a  sudden  movement ;  then 
answered  in  an  almost  hoarse  voice: 

"That  is  as  it  should  be." 

So  silent  and  taciturn  was  he  dur- 
ing the  rest  of  the  evening  that  for 
1 08 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

her  the  festival  was  spoiled ;  but  even 
the  moon  gave  not  enough  light  to 
show  her  tears.  Restless  that  night, 
she  could  not  sleep,  or  slept  so  lightly 
that  she  waked  at  intervals.  It 
must  have  been  almost  morning, 
when,  waking  from  a  restless  sleep, 
she  saw  the  dim  light  of  an  andon 
shining  through  the  paper  shoji  that 
divided  their  chamber  from  an  ad- 
joining room ;  clearly  outlined  by  the 
light  on  the  shoji  was  the  silhouette 
of  her  husband.  His  bed  was  empty. 
She  went  to  him  quickly  and  pushed 
the  shoji  apart.  Then  she  saw  the 
papers  about  him  on  all  sides.  He 
had  not  time  to  hide  them.  His 
startled  face  betrayed  him. 

She  sank  down  on  the  floor  beside 
him,  terror  in  her  eyes. 

"Kiyo!"   she   cried.     "Oh,    Kiyo! 
I  understand — everything.     Why  did 
you  not  tell  me  before?" 
109 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

He  spoke  with  difficulty.  His 
hands  trembled  as  he  folded  up  the 
papers. 

"It  is  all  right,  I  read  the  news 
— of  the  victories.  What  Japanese 
could  help  himself?" 

"Oh,  but  you  read  it  in  secret; 
you  hide  your  feelings  from  me. 
Why  do  you  not  confide  in  me?" 

He  took  her  hands  and  stroked 
them  very  gently. 

"  If  you  were  a  Japanese  woman — " 
he  began,  when  she  interrupted: 

"It  ought  to  make  no  difference 
what  I  am.  I  am  your  wife.  Do 
not  treat  me  as  an  alien — a  stranger." 

He  drew  her  warmly  to  him  at 
that. 

"No,  I  will  not,"  he  said.  "I  will 
tell  you  everything — all  my  thoughts. 
You  know,  Ellen,  I  am  of  samurai 
ancestry,  and  as  a  young  man  I  was 
brought  up  in  that  school.  When  I 
no 


JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

became  old  enough?  I  served  for  a 
time  in  the  army.  I  hold  a  com- 
mission. Later,  my  father,  who  was 
one  of  the  most  enlightened  of  the 
men  of  old  Japan,  was  imbued  with 
the  new  thought.  He  put  aside  old 
traditions  and  pride.  I  was  forced, 
so  to  speak,  into  a  commercial  life. 
Conditions  changed  for  the  samurai 
then.  We  were  desperately  poor  for 
a  time.  They  looked  to  me  to  re- 
deem the  family  fortunes.  And  to 
do  it  I  had  to  be  taken  from  one 
school  of  thought  and  put  into  an- 
other—  from  samurai  to  tradesman. 
It  was  a  strange  transformation  for  a 
Japanese  of  such  ancestry  as  mine. 
But  I  learned  to  like  the  work.  If 
succeeded.  You  know  of  my  long 
sojourn  in  America,  till  I  could  al- 
most believe  that  I  thought  as  your 
people  think,  and  saw  things  as  you 
in  America  see  them.  I  seemed  to 


5? 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


^ 


be  a  living  example  of  the  evolution 
of  an  Oriental  mind  long  swayed 
by  Occidental  environment.  I  called 
myself  American  many  times,  as  you 
know.  We  came  back  here.  The 
war,  with  all  it  meant  to  Japan,  and 
the  old  patriotic  feeling  aroused,  be- 
gan a  struggle  with  my  acquired  Oc- 
cidental sense.  Now  I  know  that  I 
never  can  be  other  than  what  I  am 
by  every  inherent  instinct — a  true 
Japanese'  I  loved  you,  so  I  feared 
to  tell  you.  You  married  me  think- 
ing possibly  I  was  other  than  I  am, 
Japanese  only  by  birth,  but  of 
thought  the  same  as  you.  That  is 
why  I  have  not  confided  in  you." 

"But  I  knew  it  all  the  time,"  she 
said.  "7  never  thought  you  other 
than  you  were.  Because  you  wore 
our  dress,  it  did  not  make  you  of  our 
country,  nor  did  I  love  you  for  that, 
Kiyo.  I  did  not  require  that  you, 


J 


JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 


should  become  like  my  people.  /, 
as  your  wife,  was  willing  to  become 
one  of  you,  if  you  would  let  me." 

For  a  long  time  he  was  silent. 
Then  with  a  sudden  impulse  he  held 
the  light  before  her  face. 

"Let  me  see  your  face  then,"  he 
said,  "when  I  tell  you  of  my  re- 
solve." 

"Tell  me,"  she  whispered;  "I  am 
not  afraid." 

"I  must  give  you  up  for  one  who 
has  a  larger  claim  upon  me — for  be- 
loved Ten-shi-sama!" 

He  saw  her  face  whitening  in  the 
dim  light.  She  tried  to  part  her  lips 
to  speak,  but  no  words  came.  Then 
she  smiled,  a  smile  so  full  of  bravery 
and  love  that  he  almost  dropped  the 
light. 

"Now  I  know,"  he  said,  "that  you 
are  my  own  true  wife — not  foreign  to 
me,  but  as  my  wife  should  be." 
"3 


E    BLOSSOM 

Then  she  spoke:  "Yes,  as  a  Jap- 
anese wife  would  be.  Oh,  Kiyo,  / 
have  understood  them.  It  is  not 
because  they  do  not  love  their  hus- 
bands that  they  do  not  weep  and 
protest  when  they  must  lose  them 
for  a  glorious  cause.  It  is  brave  to 
give  up  the  loved  ones  freely,  will- 
ingly." 

He  began  rapidly  to  discuss  plans 
for  his  going,  watching  her  face 
closely.  She  bore  it  all  with  that 
brave  cheerfulness  peculiar  to  the 
Japanese  woman.  Only  when  he 
planned  the  disposition  of  his  fort- 
une in  case  of  his  death,  did  she 
protest. 

"  We  will  not  anticipate  the  worst, 
Kiyo." 

"  Is  it  not  best  to  do  so  ?"  he  gently 
interposed. 

"I  know  it  is  Japanese,"  she  said, 
wistfully,  "but  I  will  always  look  for 
114 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

you  to  return.     In  that  you  can't 
make  me  Japanese." 

"A  Japanese  soldier  never  expects 
to  return.  His  wife  gives  him  up 
forever.  But  I,  like  you,  will  have 
the  better  hope,  my  wife.  I  will 
come  back  to  you." 

"It  is  a  promise,"  she  said,  and  for 
the  first  time  her  eyes  were  full  of 
tears.  He  took  her  in  his  arms  and 
held  her  closely. 

"It  is  a  promise,"  he  said,  solemn- 
ly. He  wiped  the  tears  away  from 
her  eyes. 

"  There  must  be  no  more  of  these, 
he  said,   "else  how  can  I  have  the 
strength  to  go?" 

"I  have  shed  my  last  tear,  Kiyo," 
was  her  answer.  "You  have  prom- 
ised me!" 


XII 

THE  "glorious  news,"  as  they 
termed  it,  was  given  to  the  chil- 
dren the  following  morning.  Even 
Juji  was  called  to  the  family  council, 
while  the  nurse-maid,  Norah,  held 
the  baby  in  her  arms. 

Mr.  Kurukawa  talked  of  his  going 
to  the  front  as  if  it  were  a  cause  to 
make  them  happy  and  rejoice.  His 
words  had  the  desired  effect  upon 
the  Japanese  children.  Taro,  Plum 
Blossom,  and  Iris  were  thrilled  with 
pride  and  excitement.  Taro  wanted 
to  rush  out  to  the  village  at  once  to 
proclaim  to  every  one  the  great  tid- 
ings. His  father  was  going  to  serve 
Ten-shi-sama.  He  was  going  to  re- 
116 


K.SWO 


^ 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

cruit  a  new  regiment  from  their  town 
and  vicinity.  And  they  would  all 
march  away,  with  drums  beating 
and  the  sun  flag  flying.  His  satis- 
faction and  excitement  spread  to 
some  extent  to  Billy,  who  began  beg- 
ging his  step -father  to  let  him  and 
Taro  go,  too,  as  "drummer-boys," 
just  as  the  little  boys  in  the  Kipling 
stories  did.  But  Marion  stole  from 
the  room  to  weep.  She  loved  her 
step-father  as  dearly  as  if  he  were  her 
own  father,  and  so  in  imagination  she 
saw  him  wounded,  or  even  killed. 
Her  tender  little  heart  was  bruised 
at  the  thought.  The  pride  and  ela- 
tion of  her  step-brothers  and  sisters 
horrified  her.  She  could  not  under- 
stand it.  She  cried  out  her  thoughts 
in  her  mother's  arms. 

"Oh,  mamma,  mamma,  hear  them 
singing!     Oh!  —  and   papa   may   be 
killed,  and  they  are  glad — glad  /" 
117 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

She  had  expected  her  mother  at 
least  to  understand,  and  to  weep 
with  her,  but  to  her  astonishment 
her  mother  put  her  gently  from  her 
arms. 

"Listen,  Marion!  Listen,  darling, 
to  what  they  are  singing!  Don't  you 
know  what  it  is  ?  It  is  the  national 
hymn,  Marion.  Oh,  my  little  girl, 
be  brave,  too,  with  them.  There  is 
nothing  to  cry  about  —  nothing  — 
nothing!" 

Taro  bounded  into  the  room,  his 
cheeks  aflame.  "My  f adder  goin' 
ride  away.  Mebbe  he  leave  to-marl- 
low." 

Billy's  voice  was  heard  in  raised 
tones  outside. 

"Then  we  can  see  into  the  chest 
to-day!"  he  cried,  excitedly. 

"Yes." 

Taro  rushed  into  the  hall  to  speak 
in  excited  Japanese  to  his  father. 
118 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

With  the  two  boys  clinging  to  his 
arms  Mr.  Kurukawa  came  into  the 
room. 

"There's  a  little  ceremony  I  have 
promised  the  boys,  mother,"  he  said. 
"  It  was  once  customary  for  Japanese 
soldiers  to  look  at,  and  often  wor- 
ship, the  swords  of  their  ancestors 
before  starting  for  the  seat  of  war." 

"We  are  going  to  look  into  the  an- 
cestor's chest,"  cried  Billy;  "that  old 
brown  thing  in  the  go-down." 

The  "old  brown  thing"  was 
brought  reverently  into  the  room  by 
careful  servants.  At  Mr.  Kuruka- 
wa's  quiet  command  complete  silence 
reigned  before  he  touched  it.  Then 
he  said,  in  the  gravest  of  voices: 

"You  children  must  learn  to  con- 
trol your  feeling.  You  exhibit  too 
much  excitement.  You,  Billy,  and 
Taro,  both  of  you,  evince  the  same 
excitement  over  a  solemn  occasion 
119 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

such  as  this,  as  you  would  over  a 
festival  or  a  game.  Appreciate  and 
remember  this  occasion,  my  boys." 

The  boys,  reproved,  hung  their 
heads.  Mr.  Kurukawa  then  opened 
the  old  chest.  One  by  one  he 
brought  forth  the  various  articles 
within  it.  Some  of  them  were 
mouldering  with  age.  These  he  han- 
dled with  reverent  touch.  He  ex- 
plained to  the  family  what  each  relic 
was  after  this  fashion: 

"This  garment,  my  children,  was 
worn  exactly  three  hundred  years 
ago  by  your  ancestor,  Carsunora. 
He  was  in  the  service  of  the  Emperor. 
The  Shogun  Lyesade  set  a  price  upon 
his  head,  and  after  repeated  battles 
with  his  clan  they  succeeded  in  sur- 
rounding his  fortress  at  Carsunora. 
Here  for  fifty -five  days  they  kept 
a  siege.  His  brave  men  preferred 
death  to  surrender,  despite  the  prom- 


mm-- 

'  * 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 


ise  of  Lyesade.  Day  and  night  the 
assault  was  made  upon  the  fortress. 
Its  turrets  and  windows  were  de- 
molished. Starvation  stared  them 
in  the  face.  Still  your  ancestor  held 
out.  Finally  one  of  the  enemy  start- 
ed a  fire  under  the  walls,  and  the 
brave  ones  were  driven  out  into  the 
open.  Your  ancestor  was  surround- 
ed on  all  sides.  The  swords  of  his 
enemy  pierced  him.  See,  there  are 
the  rents  in  his  garments.  It  is  said 
there  were  over  a  hundred  wounds 
upon  his  body.  But  desperately  and 
valiantly  he  fought  on,  killing  or 
wounding  all  who  came  within  touch 
of  his  sword.  See  it,  my  children, 
bent  and  rusty,  with  the  very  stains 
of  the  enemy's  blood  preserved  upon 
it!  But  even  the  most  valiant  of 
heroes  cannot  bear  up  against  a  host 
of  men.  With  his  retainers  dead  on 
all  sides,  wounded  by  the  eager 


JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

swords  of  a  thousand  enemies,  he 
suddenly  signified  his  intention  of 
committing  supuku. 

"  For  the  first  time  in  many  hours 
the  enemy,  out  of  respect,  lowered 
their  weapons.  Your  ancestor  broke 
his  shorter  sword — here  are  the  pieces. 
Then  taking  the  longer  one,  he  thrust 
it  into  his  bowels,  and  expired." 

One  bit  of  grewsome  history  after 
another  he  related  to  the  children, 
listening  with  awe-struck  faces. 

Subdued  and  very  quiet  the  chil- 
dren left  the  room  when  the  "  cere- 
mony" was  over.  Marion  alone  had 
been  unable  to  contain  her  emo- 
tion, and,  weeping  bitterly,  had  been 
sent  from  the  room.  Now  husband 
and  wife  were  alone  for  the  first  time 
that  day. 

"Does  it  seem  strange  to  you,"  he 
said,  "  that  I  should  repeat  such  tales 
.to  my  children?" 


JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

"No,"  she  said,  steadily,  "not  if 
they  are  accustomed  to  such  things." 

"Japanese  children  are  told  stories 
of  war  from  their  youngest  years. 
That  is  why  they  seem  impassive 
when  their  own  family's  gory  history 
is  unfolded  to  them." 

"But  the  little  girls,"  she  said; 
"their  eyes  shone  with  as  great  a 
zeal  as  Taro's." 

"Yes,  they  are  fine  girls.  You 
have  heard  of  their  ancestry." 

"And  Taro?"  she  said. 

"Taro,"  smiled  the  father,  "has  a 
great  sorrow.  He  is  too  young  yet 
to  emulate  the  deeds  of  his  ancestors. 
His  little  heart  is  almost  ready  to 
burst  with  his  longing." 

"Will  it  be  the  same  with  our 
baby?"  she  asked,  earnestly. 

"Would  you  have  it  so?"  was  his 
question. 

She  thought  a  moment,  and  then 
123 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

she  said:  "Yes — yes,  indeed.  Who 
would  not?  Even  our  Billy  is  af- 
fected." 

"  Billy  has  inquired  most  earnestly 
of  me  whether  when  he  grew  up  he 
could  be  a  Japanese  soldier,  and  I 
told  him  he  would  have  to  be  a  Jap- 
anese citizen  first.  He  said  his  father 
— meaning  me — was  Japanese,  and 
he  would  be  whatever  he  was!" 

"And  so  he  will  be,"  said  she,  ear- 
nestly. 

"  But  we  will  wait  till  he  is  a  man 
to  decide  that,"  said  her  husband. 


XIII 


T 


HE  old  grandmother  was  the  first 
to  arise  on  the  auspicious  morn- 
ing. The  sun  had  not  yet  made  its 
appearance  when  she  opened  her 
shoji  and  looked  out  at  the  dawning. 
She  dressed  herself  hastily,  and 
then  went  to  arouse  the  servants. 
While  the  family  still  slept  the  house 
was  put  in  perfect  order,  and  soon 
breakfast  was  preparing.  When  she 
had  set  all  the  maids  at  their  tasks 
the  grandmother  returned  to  the 
floor  above,  and  entered  the  room 
now  shared  jointly  by  Taro  and 
Billy.  Opening  the  shutters  she  let 
in  the  light.  Then  as  they  did  not 
125 


K$A 
'W 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

stir,  she  deftly  turned  down  their 
bedclothes  and  drew  the  pillows 
from  beneath  their  heads.  Taro  sat 
up  grumbling  and  yawning,  while 
Billy  turned  over  on  his  side,  felt 
about  for  the  pillow,  and  then  slept 
uneasily  without  it.  Taro,  now  awake, 
shook  Billy. 

"Oh,  let  me  sleep,"  complained 
Billy. 

"All  ride,"  said  Taro,  slipping  out 
of  bed  and  beginning  to  put  on  his 
clothes  quickly.  "You  kin  sleep 
when  we  marsh  off  with  my  fadder. 
No  more  Pdrt  Authur.  Soon  no 
more  Lussians!" 

Billy  was  out  of  bed  in  a  minute, 
suddenly  recalled  to  the  fact  of  what 
this  day  was  to  bring  forth. 

"I'll  beat  you  dressing,"  said  he. 

Meanwhile,  Madame  Sano  was  help- 
ing the  little  girls  with  their  toilets. 

Iris  was  standing  patiently  while 
126 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


her  hair  was  being  dressed  in  an 
elaborate  mode.  Plum  Blossom,  her 
round,  fat  little  face  still  flushed  with 
sleep,  was  sitting  on  the  floor  draw- 
ing on  a  white  stocking. 

A  maid  was  helping  Marion.  The 
latter 's  hair  was  arranged  in  the 
same  fanciful  mode  as  her  step- 
sister's. 

"  Grandmother,  please  let  me  wear 
my  new  cherry-blossom  kimono  to- 
day," coaxed  Iris. 

"You  must  wear  your  white,"  said 
the  grandmother;  "  all  wear  white  to- 
day. You  must  look  your  best. 
Now,  Plum  Blossom,  let  O'Chika 
arrange  your  hair." 

"Please,  grandmother,  tie  my  obi. 
You  do  it  so  beautifully,"  begged 
Marion. 

Smiling,  Madame  Sano  pulled  and 
twisted  the  little  girl's  kimono  into 
correct  shape,  wound  the  sash  about 


127 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 


/ 


her,  and  tied  it  in  a  huge  bow  be- 
hind. Then  she  slipped  a  fan  and 
two  little  paper  handkerchiefs  into 
the  sleeves  of  each  little  girl.  Now 
that  they  were  all  ready,  she  took 
occasion  to  give  them  a  short  lecture. 

"You  mus'  westr  sweed,  smiling 
face  to-day,  lid^le  gells.  No  more 
cry."  /. 

"Oh,  grandmother,  how  can  I  help 
it?"  asked  Marion,  a  catch  in  her 
voice  which  already  betokened  the 
forbidden  tears.  "I'd  better  stay 
home.  I  can't  see  father  go  away  to 
that  awful,  cruel  war." 

"When  Gozo  went  away  I  nebber 
cry  one  tear!"  said  Plum  Blossom, 
fervently. 

"I  no  cry  needer,"  said  Iris;  "and 
when  he  say  good-bye  I  laff  and  wave 
both  these  han's  like  this." 

"She  have  flag  in  both  those 
han's,"  explained  Plum  Blossom. 
128 


>  /  v\Vv-^c^*>^*-^v  - 

'  * 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

"She  have  my  flag  also;  so  when  I 
also  wave  my  han's  I  have  no  flag, 
but  jus'  same — me — /  laff,  too." 

"Oh,  didn't  Gozo  feel  bad  to  see 
you  laughing  at  him  like  that?" 

"No,"  cried  Plum  Blossom,  indig- 
nantly. "My!  how  good  he  feel. 
He  hoi'  himself  like  thisaway."  She 
threw  out  her  chest  in  illustration. 
"And  when  he  reached  corner  of 
street  he  put  Juji  down." 

"  Juji  ?     Where  was  he  ? " 

"Gozo  carry  him  on  shoulder  all 
way  down  stleet.  And  Taro  he 
too  marsh  ride  nex'  his  side  with 
Gozo.  Then  when  Gozo  reach  that 
corner  he  put  Juji  down  and  he  put- 
ting his  han'  on  his  head  thisaway, 
and  then  he  turn  quick,  and  thad  was 
las'  time  we  saw  Gozo." 

Her  voice  fell  at  the  end,  and  her 
face  had  now  a  distressed  expres- 
sion. 

129 


w 


J**xiJv$er& 


BLOSSOM 

*  '••-•-••&S  _^ i^^ifSiSf-Lj 

"/  only  cry  after  he  gone  way," 
admitted  Iris. 

Plum  Blossom  turned  on  her 
fiercely. 

"  If  you  talk  of  thad  cry  now,  you 
goin'  cry  agaia,  and  to-day  you  mus' 
smile,  account^  our  f adder  marshing, 
too." 

Iris  smothered  all  signs  of  tears. 

"Me?  I  cry  to-day?"  she  said. 
"Never  I  cry." 

"Did  Juji  cry?"  asked  Marion, 
curiously,  mindful  of  the  child's 
talent  in  that  direction. 

"No,  Juji  never  cry,  even  after 
Gozo  gone.  Everybody  cry  then 
'cept  Juji.  He  forget  he  god  brud- 
der  naime  Gozo." 

"Now  all  honorably  go  down- 
stairs and  sedately  wait  for  your 
august  parents  to  descend  for  break- 
fast." 

Later  the  grandmother  dressed  lit- 
130 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

tie  Juji,  and  the  baby,  too,  for  the 
lazy  Norah  could  not  see  the  neces- 
sity for  such  early  rising,  and  grum- 
bled at  being  awakened. 

"Shure  an'  wot  time  is  it  he's 
afther  goin'  away?"  she  inquired  of 
the  grandmother. 

"Your  master  go  away  at  three 
o'clock,"  said  the  grandmother,  qui- 
etly.. 

"Thray  o'clock!  In  the  afther- 
noon,  may  I  arsk?" 

"Certainly." 

"And  you  get  up  at  thray  in  the 
morning  because  he  laves  at  thray  in 
the  afthernoon?" 

The  grandmother  did  not  answer. 
She  was  unused  to  such  questioning 
from  her  own  servants,  and  found  it 
hard  to  tolerate  it  from  the  Irish 
girl.  But  Norah  persisted: 

"What's  the  sinse  of  getting  up 
before  you're  awake?" 


'#*> 


;OJ 


The  grandmother -condescended  an 
explanation. 

"We  desire  to  make  this  day  a 
long  one,  since  we  can't  have  your 
master  with  us  long." 

Still  grumbling,  the  Irish  girl  dress- 
ed herself,  and  then  took  the  baby 
from  the  grandmother. 


XIV  \\ 

THE  farewell  breakfast  was  as 
merry  a  one  as  they  could  make 
it  under  the  circumstances.  To 
please  the  father,  it  was  served  in 
the  ceremonious  Japanese  fashion 
peculiar  to  such  a  time.  There  were 
hot  rice  and  freshly  fried  fish,  fruit, 
persimmons  and  oranges,  and  clear, 
delicious  tea.  Everything,  in  fact, 
there  was  to  tempt  the  appetite  at 
this  time,  when  the  appetite  might 
fail  them.  Even  Mrs.  Kurukawa, 
whose  white  face  showed  a  night  of 
wakefulness,  ate  some  of  the  crisp, 
inviting  fish,  and  drank  the  tea  with 
grateful  relish.  Mr.  Kurukawa  ap- 


\ 


'in 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

peared  all  cheerfulness.  He  made 
them  gifts.  Each  of  the  family  had 
an  exchange  gift  for  him.  Smiling 
whimsically,  he  looked  at  the  little  pile. 

"Do  you  suppose  I  can  find  room 
to  take  them  to  the  front  with  me?" 
he  asked  his  wife,  jocularly. 

"Oh  yes,  yes,"  she  said,  earnestly, 
"  for  I  advised  them  all  to  get  you 
something  you  could  use  there." 

"Let  me  see."  He  began  going 
over  the  heap  of  presents.  There 
were  needles  and  thread  from  Plum 
Blossom.  Iris  had  bought  a  tiny 
pair  of  scissors.  Taro's  gift  was  a 
little  drinking-cup  which  folded  up, 
a  foreign  novelty.  Billy  gave  a  jack- 
knife,  such  a  one  as  he  had  long 
saved  to  buy  for  himself.  A  little 
Bible  was  Marion's  gift.  The  grand- 
parents gave  the  most  sensible  gift — 
certain  clothes  he  would  appreciate, 
compactly  rolled  in  a  small  bundle, 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

and  consisting  of  Japanese  under- 
wear and  sandals.  He  would  find 
them  grateful  after  long  use  of  the 
uniform.  Juji  had  been  permitted 
to  choose  his  own  gift. 

"Buy  something  for  father,"  said 
Plum  Blossom  in  the  store.  Then 
Juji  had  pointed  with  a  fat  finger  at 
sofhething  bright.  It  proved  to  be 
a  silk  handkerchief.  Even  Norah 
and  the  baby  had  gifts  for  him.  A 
pin  the  Irish  girl  had  prized  much, 
since  it  had  been  given  her  by  an  old 
sweetheart,  and  which  bore  in  twisted 
letters  of  silver  the  legend,  "  Remem- 
ber me,"  was  the  nurse's  tribute. 
The  baby's  gift  Mrs.  Kurukawa  had 
chosen — a  leather  folder  containing 
the  photographs  of  the  entire  family. 
Her  own  gift  she  put  upon  his  finger, 
a  ring  he  had  given  her.  "Bring  it 
back  to  me,"  she  said,  and  he  prom 
ised  that  he  would. 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

The  parting  took  place  on  the 
threshold.  It  was  not  similar  to 
that  of  most  Japanese  farewells,  for 
Mr.  Kurukawa  embraced  his  little 
girls  and  his  wife,  and  they  clung 
about  his  neck  and  kissed  him, 
while  Marion,  because  she  could  not 
keep  back  her  tears,  rushed  into  the 
house  to  hide  them. 

The  boys,  Billy,  Taro,  and  Juji, 
were  allowed  to  go  with  him  to  the 
train.  As  Gozo  had  done,  Mr.  Kuru- 
kawa carried  Juji  on  his  shoulder. 

The  little  boys  waved  their  flags  as 
the  train  drew  out,  and  shouted  at 
the  top  of  their  voices. 

"Banzai!  Banzai!  Banzai  Dai 
Nippon!" 

They   were   silent   as   they   made 
their  way   homeward.     Even   Billy, 
the  garrulous,   found   he   could  not 
speak  with  such  a  great  lump  chok- 
136 


KSANQ 


A    J 


ing  his  throat.  When  they  reached 
the  house  they  found  all  the  blinds 
drawn.  Suspecting  that  the  "fe- 
males," as  Taro  called  them,  had  re- 
tired to  weep  in  their  rooms,  Taro 
drew  Billy  towards  the  pond. 

"Let's  play,"  said  he. 

Billy  shook  his  head. 

"  Play  fight, ' '  urged  Taro.  "  /  will 
be  Admiral  Togo — you  be  the  Lus- 
sian  admiral." 

" Me  a  Russian!"  cried  Billy, 
fiercely. 

"Yaes,  because  you  loog  jes' 
same." 

At  the  insult  Billy  became  purple. 
He  shouted: 

"I  don't.  Father  says  when  I 
wear  your  old  kimono  I  look  Japan- 
ese. /'//  be  Togo.  I'm  the  oldest." 

Taro  shook  his  head. 

"I  tell  you  what,"  said  Billy. 
"  Juji  can  be  the  Russian.  See  how 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

sleepy  and  lazy  he  looks.     Let's  just 
duck  him  in  the  water  and  wake  him 

He'll  cry  too  much." 
Oh,    the    Russians    all    cry    and 
y  and  make  a  big  noise,  but  they 
't  do  anything  after  a  Jap  gets 
them.     We  won't   really   hurt   Juji. 
He'll  groan  like  a  wounded  Russian, 
and  you  can  be  a  Red  Cross  Japanese 
doctor  and  make  him  better." 
"All  lide,"  said  Taro. 
So  they  began  to  play. 


XV 

OUMMER,  with  its  flowers,  car- 
O  nivals,  moonlight  fetes  and  ban- 
quets, is  a  season  of  unalloyed  bliss  to 
Japanese  children.  It  seemed  as  if 
all  nature  took  a  holiday,  and  bade 
the  children  and  the  grown  folks, 
too,  come  forth  from  their  houses 
and  rejoice  at  her  beauty  and  happi- 
ness. 

Never  before  had  the  Japanese  held 
so  many  celebrations.  But  this  year 
their  festivals  were  not  in  honor  of 
the  beauty  of  the  flowers  or  the 
glory  of  the  moon.  They  tossed 
their  fans,  their  parasols,  any  article, 
above  their  heads.  They  marched 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

the  streets  of  the  towns  at  night 
with  swinging  lanterns  and  torches  in 
their  hands,  sometimes  singing  and 
always  shouting,  "Banzai!  Banzai!" 
Impassive  faces  turned  ruddy  with 
excitement  and  pride.  Even  deli- 
cate-faced ladies  leaned  from  their 
jinrikishas  in  the  public  streets  and 
waved  the  sun  flags  in  their  hands. 
Never  had  a  flower  festival  drawn 
forth  such  enthusiasm  and  excite- 
ment. On  all  sides  people  spoke  the 
word,  breathlessly,  with  smiling  lips: 

"Victory!  Always  victory  for  Dai 
Nippon." 

The  Kurukawa  family  caught  the 
spirit  of  the  country.  There  was  not 
a  member  of  the  little  flock  that  did 
not  feel  a  personal  pride  in  Japan's 
achievements.  Even  Mrs.  Kuruka- 
wa, after  the  first  shock  of  the  act- 
ual sense  of  loss  had  passed,  re- 
fused to  be  oppressed  by  her  sorrow. 
140 


• 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSS 


By  this  time  her  husband's  friends  in 
the  town  were  hers.  She  became  a 
member  of  a  society  which  had  for 
its  aim  the  succor  of  the  town's  poor 
families  whose  wage-earners  had  been 
given  to  the  war.  No  Western  wom- 

Ien's  club  or  society  ever  worked 
harder  than  did  these  little  Japanese 
women  when  they  took  upon  them- 
selves the  actual  support  of  the  poor 
of  the  town.  Mrs.  Kurukawa  found 
a  wonderful  comfort  in  the  work. 
All  the  little  girls  assisted.  Immedi- 
ately after  the  departure  of  her  hus- 
band the  grandmother  had  come  to 
her  with  a  suggestion  that  at  first  she 
could  not  understand. 

"Now  that  the  master  has  gone," 
had  said  the  old  woman,  "shall  we 
not  dismiss  all  the  servants?" 

"But  why?"  she  had  inquired,  as- 
tonished.    "We  can  afford  to  keep 
them,  can  we  not?" 
141 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


Madame  Sano  could  not  make  her 
reasons  understood.  For  a  time  she 
went  about  the  house  very  gloomy 
and  unhappy,  shaking  her  old  head 
as  the  servants  waited  upon  their 
mistress  and  the  children.  She  her- 
self refused  to  be  waited  upon.  Her 
own  meals  she  cooked  herself.  It 
was  shortly  after  she  had  become  a 
member  of  the  Aid  Society  that  Mrs. 
Kurukawa  learned  from  another 
member  that  most  of  the  war  families 
had  dismissed  their  servants,  or  kept 
at  most  but  one  scullery  maid.  The 
little  Japanese  lady  told  her  at  the 
same  time  that  none  of  them  had 
bought  new  clothes  since  the  begin- 
ning of  the  war,  and  that  some  of 
them  had  refused  fire,  food,  and  lux- 
uries. The  reason  was  this.  Their 
husbands,  sons,  fathers,  and  brothers 
were  suffering  hardship  and  peril.  It 
would  be  unseemly  for  them  to  live 
142 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


in   a, 


luxury.  Since  they  .could  not 
share  that  hardship  at  the  front  with 
their  men  they  would  deny  them- 
selves at  home. 

"But  what  of  the  servants?"  Mrs. 
Kurukawa  had  asked.  "They  would 
be  without  employment." 

The  answer  was  prompt.  "The 
men-servants  belong  to  the  war 
service.  Some  of  the  women  receive 
reduced  wages.  The  money  saved  is 
devoted  to  charity.  The  servants 
themselves  understand  that  they,  too, 
must  make  sacrifices.  Some  of  them 
are  sent  by  their  mistresses  to  the 
homes  of  the  poor  and  the  sick,  there 
to  work." 

When    she    returned    home    Mrs.  j 

urukawa  called  the  family  together 
to  tell  them  of  her  resolve.  They 
•ould  keep  but  one  maid -servant 
and  Norah,  the  nurse.  The  maid- 
servant would  do  the  cooking  and 
T43 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 


/ 


the  scullery  work.  Marion,  Plum 
Blossom,  and  Iris  were  to  do  all  the 
chamber  work  and  keep  the  second 
floor  clean  and  sweet.  Madame  Sano 
would  do  the  sewing.  The  boys 
must  take  care  of  the  garden  and 
draw  the  water.  Mrs.  Kurukawa 
would  see  to  the  rest  of  the  house. 
As  the  average  Japanese  family  of 
similar  circumstances  kept  a  great 
many  servants  —  in  fact,  any  num- 
ber of  "assistants,"  cook's  assistant, 
scullery  assistant,  etc.  —  the  Kuru- 
kawas  had  in  all  fourteen,  including 
the  men  who  worked  in  the  garden 
and  the  rice-fields.  Of  these,  one  old 
man's  services  were  retained.  The 
younger  men  were  advised  to  enlist 
if  they  could.  If  not,  they  would  re- 
ceive reduced  wages  and  be  employed 
in  caring  for  the  poor.  So  the  work 
previously  done  by  the  servants  was 
now  done  cheerfully  and  happily 
144 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

by  the  members  of  the  Kurukawa 
family. 

No  chamber-maid  ever  cleaned  a 
sleeping-chamber  with  more  pleasure 
than  did  the  little  girls.  Their  hair 
wrapped  about  in  white  linen,  their 
sleeves  rolled  up,  they  made  the 
bamboo  brooms  fly  across  the  floor. 

"  If  one  liddle  bit  of  dust  be  in  cor- 
ner even,"  said  Plum  Blossom,  "I 
shall  die  of  shame." 

That  was  the  spirit  of  all. 

They  who  had  never  known  what 
it  was  to  wash  their  own  bright  faces, 
now  joyfully  did  all  such  services  for 
themselves  and  for  one  another.  They 
were  always  so  busy  that  they  found 
no  time  for  sadness.  They  arose 
with  the  sun  to  busy  themselves  in 
the  house  throughout  the  mornings. 
The  afternoon  was  given  to  more 
pleasurable  work.  They  would  sew 
and  embroider  in  the  garden,  or  write 
i45 


i<&8Wi^3S8&r 

A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 
1          !^3  *)»    **"**      /55  V^**^ 

letters  to  their  father  and  Gozo. 
Often  all  of  them  would  go  on  mis- 
sions of  charity  to  the  town.  Japan 
has  no  actual  slums  in  her  smaller 
'  towns.  Asylums  and  "Refuges"  are 
scarcely  needed.  The  charity  work 
done  is  all  personal,  and  perhaps, 
better. 


XVI 

OCTOBER  forced  the  little  family 
in-doors.  It  was  a  bleak  month, 
cold  and  chilly  this  year.  There  is 
a  general  superstition  in  Japan  that 
this  desolate  month,  when  the  gods 
are  all  absent,  will  bring  disaster  to 
all  who  observe  events  connected 
with  home  joys.  The  Kurukawas 
were  Christians,  and  had  no  faith  in 
these  childish  superstitions;  never- 
theless, they  instinctively  felt  the 
contagion  of  the  general  feeling  of 
dreariness  everywhere.  Nearly  every 
afternoon  they  were  wont  to  gather 
together  in  the  great  ozashiki,  and 
there  they  would  talk  of  the  war,  or 
M7 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

listen  to  tales  of  their  ancestors'  valor 
told  by  the  grandfather,  a  garrulous 
story-teller  when  once  upon  a  theme 
that  pleased  him.  It  is  true  his 
English  was  at  times  almost  unin- 
telligible, and  he  chose  the  most  gory 
subjects  for  his  tales,  but  he  held  his 
listeners  spellbound .  Indeed ,  Marion , 
high-strung  and  excitable  as  she  had 
been,  became  quite  hardened  and 
used  to  stories  of  bloodshed. 

"I  believe,  mamma,"  she  said,  "/ 
could  see  a  great  fight  now  without 
closing  my  eyes." 

The  gloominess  of  the  month  was 
broken  by  a  great  letter  from  the 
father.  It  had  been  written  Sep- 
tember 5th,  during  the  action  at 
Lyago-yang.  He  told  the  family 
little  or  nothing  of  the  war  itself  be- 
yond simple  descriptions  of  his  com- 
panions and  of  Russian  prisoners  he 
had  seen.  There  was  no  word  of  the 
148 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

hardships,  no  word  of  the  battles 
fought,  and  he  was  now  a  veteran. 
He  wrote  that  at  night  when  he 
closed  his  eyes  he  could  see  them  all 
so  clearly,  as  they  had  looked  in  their 
cherry  gowns  on  that  day  pf  the 
flower  festival.  It  seemed  now  so 
far  away  that  he  sometimes  wonder- 
ed if  he  were  the  same  man  who, 
covered  with  cherry-blossom  petals, 
told  them  the  foolish  story  of  "The 
Widow  of  Sanyo."  There  were  mes- 
sages for  each  child  individually. 
Finally  he  wrote  that  he  had  not 
seen  Gozo,  but  that  he  knew  of  his 
whereabouts.  Soon  he  hoped  to  be 
with  him. 

The  children  rushed  for  their  little 
writing-desks.  Soon,  heels  doubled 
under,  all  of  them  were  busily  en- 
gaged in  writing  to  father.  Mrs. 
Kurukawa,  too,  writing  at  her  desk, 
described  the  absorbed  group  about 
149 


^;,,p 

V  0*- 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

her.  After  a  time  the  various  epistles 
were  read  aloud  by  their  authors. 
With  her  little  lisp  Plum  Blossom 
read  her  letter: 

"HONORABLE  FADDER, — We  got  you 
proud  ledder.  Oh,  how  happy  we  feel! 
I  kees  this  ledder  ride  this  one  place. 
Please  kees  me  bag  agin.  I  lig  kees.  I 
am  now  chamber-maid  and  Marion  she 
also  chamber-maid  and  Iris  also.  House 
never  so  clean  before.  We  keep  light  all 
time  burn  for  you  and  Gozo.  Juji  burn 
his  liddle  finger  with  match.  When  we 
hear  of  grade  victory  we  blow  plenty  fire 
worg  and  Juji  burn  match.  Thas  some- 
thing for  him.  I  am  now  soon  13  years 
ole.  Kees  agin  that  spot  as  I  do. 
"Your  most  obedient  and  filialest 
"daughter  foraver, 

"P.  B." 

As  soon  as  Plum  Blossom  ceased, 

Iris     began     reading.      Her     letter 

proved   to   be,    however,    an   almost 

exact  copy  of  her  sister's,  for,  sitting 

150 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

close  to  Plum  Blossom,  she  had 
simply  copied  her  sister's  letter  bod- 
ily, thus  saving  herself  the  labor  of 
composition.  They  all  laughed  when 
she  re-read  Plum  Blossom's  letter. 
Marion  read  hers  shyly. 

"DEAR  FATHER, — Please  come  back 
soon.  I  pray  for  you  every  night.  Have 
you  got  my  Bible  still?  I  hope  you  read 
it.  Do  you  remember  Miss  Lamb  in 
Chicago?  She  used  to  be  my  Sunday- 
school  teacher,  and  when  you  became  my 
papa  she  told  me  to  be  sure  to  urge  you  to 
read  the  Bible,  for  that  was  the  way  to 
convert  the  heathen,  and  I  told  her  you 
were  not  a  heathen,  but  my  own  dear 
father,  and  the  best  man  in  the  world. 
But  I  don't  know  why  I  condescended  to 
write  about  Miss  Lamb  at  this  time.  It 
makes  my  letter  so  long. 

Dear  father,  I  do  love  you.  Mamma 
cries  for  you  at  night." 

She  was  interrupted  here  by  a  pro- 
test from  the  family.  Father  ought 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

not  to  be  told  of  tears.  So  she 
scratched  that  sentence  out  labori- 
ously, and  then  continued: 

"I  know  she  cries  at  night,  because  her 
eyes  show  it,  and  it's  because  she  loves 
you  so.  So  please  come  back  to  her  at 
once  and — " 

Billy  interrupted  this  time.  "  How 
much  longer  is  it?"  he  asked,  gruffly. 
Marion  continued,  her  face  flushed: 

" — and  this  is  all,  dear  father,  and  I 
hope  you  will  win  the  fight,  only  please, 
please  don't  kill  anybody  or  let  any  one 
kill  you.     Your  own  little  'Yankee  girl,' 
"MARION." 

"P.  S. — Give  my  best  love  to  Gozo,  and 
tell  him  I  pray  for  him,  too,  and,  please, 
also,  would  you  lend  him  the  Bible  I  gave 
you  sometimes?" 

It    was    Taro's    turn.     He    began 


!LOSS( 


reading  in  Japanese,  but  was  forced 
to  translate: 

"AUGUST  FATHER, — I  would  like  much 
be  with  you  and  fight.  I  could  kill 
ten  Russians  now  for  Samurai  Komatzou 
taught  me  some  great  tricks.  Billy 
,ys  I  would  make  a  giant  Russian  look 
like  '  30  cents.'  Billy  also  wants  to  be 
Japanese  soldier.  We  hope  war  lasts  till 
we  grow  up  so  your  two  dutiful  sons  may 
enlist.  I  sign  myself  now  your  unworthy 
son, 

"TARO." 

Billy's  letter  was  characteristic. 

"DEAR  FATHER, — Are  there  any  drum- 
mer-boys our  age?  Have  you  killed  any 
Russians  yourself?  How  did  you  do  it? 
Did  you  shoot  him  or  run  your  sword 
through  his  bowels  like  that  ancestor  you 
told  us  about  did  ?  Do  you  use  my  jack- 
knife  any?  I  hope  it's  useful.  I  wish  I 
was  grown  -  up.  Say,  would  you  ask 
Gozo,  when  you  see  him,  to  send  me  some 
Russian  buttons.  He  sent  one  to  Marion. 
153 


JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

It  was  all  rusty,  and  she  gave  it  to  me,  as 
Taro  told  there  was  blood  on  it.  Taro 
and  I  worked  very  hard  this  summer  in 
the  garden,  but  it's  great  sport.  We  pre- 
tended we  were  digging  trenches,  and 
whenever  we  found  stones  we  said  they 
were  bullets,  and  we  piled  them  up  to- 
gether, and  after  a  time  had  lots  of  am- 
munition. Say,  there's  a  French  boy 
living  out  here,  and  he  told  Taro  that 
after  a  time  there'd  be  no  Japs  left,  be- 
cause Japan  was  so  small,  and  he  said 
we'd  all  be  killed  off,  and  he  said  that  the 
regiments  would  have  to  have  boys  in 
them  soon,  because  his  father  said  so.  Is 
it  true,  and  if  so,  can't  Taro  and  I  come 
at  once  ?  Taro  licked  the  Frenchy  till  he 
squeaked  for  mercy,  and  his  father  came 
out  and  jabbered  a  lot  of  gibberish,  and 
he  got  terribly  excited  and  said,  'Insoolt 
to  France!'  and  everybody  laughed  at 
him.  Well,  this  is  all.  We  want  the 
French  boy  to  play  war  with  us,  but  he's 
like  Rojestvensky,  he  bluffs — but  we'll 
catch  him  yet.  Say,  father,  write  some- 
thing about  the  fight  and  if  you're  wound- 
ed anywhere.  Aff.,  "  BILLY." 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

"Talk  about  long  letters,"  said 
Marion. 

"Oh,  well,"  said  Billy,  "/  had 
something  to  say.  Besides,  if  it's 
true  what  the  Frenchy  says,  Taro 
and  I  will  be  soldiers  soon,  too,  and 
father  ought  to  know." 


T 


XVII 

'HERE  was  a  long  silence  from 
the  soldier  in  Manchuria.  The 
Kurukawas,  like  many  other  fam- 
ilies in  Japan,  watched  for  the  mail 
each  day  with  greedy  feverishness. 
But  the  autumn  passed  away  and 
there  was  no  further  word  from 
Kurukawa.  He  had  told  his  wife 
she  must  expect  these  long  silences. 
There  were  reasons  that  she  must 
understand  for  such  interludes.  A 
soldier's  letter  cannot  be  had  every 
day.  And  so  she  waited  with  the 
patience  worthy  of  a  brave  woman. 
But  when  December  was  ushered  in 
with  a  little  drift  of  snow,  and  she 
156 


A    JAPANESE     BL 

knew  that  winter  was  coming,  her 
thoughts  wandered  unceasingly  to 
that  one  out  there  in  the  frozen  Man- 
churia, and,  brooding  over  it,  her 
strength  gave  way.  Nights  passed; 
alone  with  a  terrified  imagination  fur- 
ther exhausted  her.  Suddenly  she 
decided  that  she  must  go  at  once 
to  Tokio  and  make  inquiry  of  the 
Minister  of  War  of  the  fate  of  her  hus- 
band. Leaving  Juji  and  the  baby  at 
home,  she  took  the  three  little  girls 
and  two  older  boys  with  her.  She 
told  the  children  nothing  of  her  fears. 
They  believed  the  trip  to  Tokio  was 
made  for  the  purpose  of  making  pur- 
chases for  the  Christmas  and  New- 
Year's  season. 

"When  you  come  back,"  had  said 
the  smiling  old  grandmother,  "the 
honorable  house  will  be  quite  new 
and  fresh  for  New- Year's." 

The  children  were  excited  by  the 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


prospect  of  a  visit  to  Tokio.  The 
Japanese  children  had  never  been  in 
the  large  town.  Thus  it  actually  fell 
to  Billy  and  Marion  to  describe  Tokio 
to  them,  for  they  had  passed  two  days 
in  the  city. 

The  little  party  arrived  at  the 
Shinbasi  Station,  where  they  took 
jinrikishas  and  rode  through  the  be- 
wildering streets  to  the  Imperial  Ho- 
tel. As  it  was  past  six  o'clock,  the 
children  after  dinner  went  straight  to 
bed,  thoroughly  tired  out.  But  Mrs. 
Kurukawa  sought  to  see  some  one 
who  could  allay  her  anxiety.  There 
were  only  two  clerks  left  in  the  War 
Office  at  this  hour.  They  were  ex- 
cessively polite  and  even  sympa- 
thetic, going  over  all  the  lists  of  the 
dead  and  wounded  they  possessed. 
There  were  two  Kurukawas  among 
the  wounded,  but  neither  was  her 
husband.  She  felt  that  a  great  load 
158 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

had  been  lifted  from  her,  and  with  a 
happier  heart  she  drove  back  to  the 
hotel.  For  the  first  time  in  many 
days  she  slept  in  peace. 

Early  in  the  morning  she  was 
awakened  by  the  children.  They 
were  crowded  at  the  windows,  look- 
ing out  upon  the  streets  and  chatter- 
ing. 

"I'm  going  to  buy  all  my  gifts  to- 
day," announced  Marion,  "because 
if  we  don't  buy  early  all  the  best 
things  will  be  snapped  up,"  she  add- 
ed, wisely. 

Taro  said,  reflectively:  "I'm  going 
to  wait  till  second  January." 

"Second  January!"  cried  Billy. 
"Why,  that's  after  Christmas!" 

Taro  nodded. 

"  I  nod  give  Christmas  presents.  I 
give  only  New-  Year's  gift." 

"  Oh,  Taro!"  cried  Marion.  "  Why, 
we're  going  to  have  a  Christmas-tree! 


\\ 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

Who  wants  to  wait  till  January 
second?" 

"  But  thad  is  day  the  otakara 
(treasure  -  ships)  are  on  streets,"  ex- 
plained Plum  Blossom-. 

"Yes,"  said  Iris,  iyand  in  Tokio  he 
has  beau-tee-ful  presents." 

"Mother  says,  we'll  be  home  for 
Christmas.  So  how  can  you  wait  till 
January  second?" 

The  little  Japanese  children's  faces 
fell. 

"Tha's  true,"  admitted  Iris,  de- 
jectedly. 

"Oh,  well,"  said  Plum  Blossom, 
consolingly,  "the  toshironschi  is  open 
in  December,  and  I  wan'  take  home 
wiz  me  plenty  mochitsuki"  (nice 
pastry). 

"  Are  you  dressed,  children  ?"  asked 
Mrs.  Kurukawa,  coming  into  the 
room. 

They  were  in  their  quaint  blue 
1 60 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

linen  Japanese  night-dresses,  a  queer 
little  group,  all  barefooted. 

They  dressed  quickly,  busily  talk- 
ing and  planning  as  they  did  so. 
The  day  was  to  be  spent  in  the  stores 
of  Tokio.  Never  were  there  more 
enticing  stores  to  shop  in,  the  chil- 
dren thought.  They  got  out  their 
little  savings,  rolled  up  in  paper 
handkerchiefs  in  their  sleeves,  and 
counted  them  over  and  over. 

Billy  had  the  most  money,  nearly 
twenty  dollars  in  all.  He  had  not 
saved  a  penny,  but  becoming  des- 
perate as  the  Christmas  season  ad- 
vanced, he  had  sold  nearly  all  his 
American  clothes  to  various  sus- 
ceptible Japanese  youth  of  the  town. 
One  paid  him  two  dollars  for  a  sail- 
or hat.  A  young  man  of  eighteen 
years  now  wore  the  twelve-year-old 
Billy's  short  trousers  under  a  kimono. 
Three  of  his  shirts  had  been  pur- 
161 


BLOSSOM 


chased  by  Miss  Summer,  which  she 
proudly  wore  on  festival  occasions. 
Even  his  suspenders  had  proved 
marketable,  and  also  his  heavy  shoes 
and  rubbers.  When  he  had  asked 
his  mother's  permission  to  "give" 
his  clothes  a^ay  she  had  laughed 
and  told  him'  that  by  the  time  he 
ceased  to  wear  kimonos  again  he 
would  be  too  large  for  the  American 
clothes  he  now  possessed,  and  so  had 
lightly  given  her  consent.  But  she 
was  quite  distressed  when  she  learned 
he  had  sold  them.  Billy,  however, 
was  equal  to  the  occasion,  and  soon 
persuaded  her  that  he  had  done  right. 
"It  would  have  been  wrong  to  make 
the  proud  Japanese  accept  second- 
hand American  clothes  as  charity." 
So  BiDy  was  now  rich,  and  accord- 
ingly avaricious.  He  wished  he  had 
a  hundred  dollars  instead  of  twenty 
dollars;  then  he  could  buy  camt 

162 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

and  guns  and  such  things  which  cost 
plenty  of  money,  but  since  there  was 
such  a  large  family,  and  since  the 
Japanese  had  to  have  presents  at 
New- Year's  as  well,  he  couldn't  afford 
costly  ones.  In  any  event  he  wanted 
them  all  to  know  that  he  was  not 
going  to  spend  more  than  half  his 
money,  as  he  was  saving  the  other 
half  for  something  for  himself — he 
wouldn't  tell  what. 

Ten  dollars  was  Taro's  total,  but 
he  had  in  addition  an  unopened  bank 
half  full  of  sen  (pennies).  He  had 
been  saving  all  summer,  and  would 
have  had  a  larger  sum,  but  he  had 
generously  contributed  two  yen  to  the 
support  of  an  old  coolie  whose  sons 
were  at  the  war  and  whom  his  mother 
was  befriending.  Billy,  too,  had  made 
a  like  contribution,  though  he  said 
nothing  about  it  now.  Taro,  however, 
could  not  forget  that  two  yen. 
163 


*^fl^WV 


SSOM 


"If  I  had  thad  two  yen  more  I 
could  buy  fine  present  for  you,  Billy, 
but  I  have  only  liddler  got — I  gotter 
buy  for  girls  first.  Mebbe  I  buy  you 
something  if  I  have  aeny  left." 

"Well,  you'd  just  better,"  snorted 
Billy,  "and  you  know  what  I  want." 

Taro  grunted  discontentedly,  but 
made  no  rash  promises. 

"How  much  have  you  got?"  Billy 
asked  Plum  Blossom,  who  had  her 
money  arranged  in  a  neat  row. 

"Three  yen  and — "  she  began 
counting  the  sen  again. 

"And  you,  Iris?" 

"Jus'  same  Plum  Blossom,"  said 
Iris,  who  had  not  bothered  to  count. 

"Why,  no,  you  silly,  you  haven't. 
I'll  count  for  you."  '  Iris  possessed 
three  yen  and  seventy-five  sen,  about 
two  dollars  and  a  quarter. 

Marion  had  seven  dollars;  two  dol- 
lars she  had  saved,  and  five  dollars 
164 


JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


an  aunt  had  sent  her  "to  buy  a 
pretty  kimono  with." 

"  But  I  have  lots  of  kimonos,"  said 
Marion,  "  so  I'll  buy  Christmas  pres- 
ents instead,  as  it's  more  blessed  to 
give  than  to  receive,"  she  added, 
piously. 

"All  right,"  grinned  Billy.  "You 
must  not  expect  to  receive  much,  sis." 


"££: 


XVIII 

WHEN  the  little  Kurukawa  fam- 
ily started  for  the  shopping  dis- 
trict the  streets  were  bathed  in  the 
beautiful  early  winter  sun.  In  a  city 
where  the  distances  are  very  great, 
where  large  parks  and  actual  stretches 
of  bare  country  exist  in  seemingly  the 
centre  of  the  town  and  where  the 
streets  zigzag  in  every  direction,  it  is 
a  matter  often  of  hours  to  reach  cer- 
tain points.  But  the  children  en- 
joyed the  long  ride.  They  would 
have  laughed  aloud  at  the  average 
foreigner's  complaint  against  the 
"jerking  jinrikisha."  What  child 
does  not  prefer  a  vehicle  that  bumps 
166 


;TO      Ht« 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

up  and  down  a  bit  to  one  that  runs 
inanely  and  smoothly? 

Taro  and  Billy  occupied  one  jin- 
rikisha,  Marion  and  Plum  Blossom 
another,  while  Iris  rode  with  her 
mother.  ,  They  called  across  merrily 
to  each  other.  When  one  runner, 
swifter-footed  for  the  moment  than 
his  fellows,  sped  on  ahead,  the  pair 
in  advance  would  cheer  in  delight. 

The  speed  with  which  the  jinriki- 
men  ran,  Billy  thought  wonder- 
ful. 

"  They  would  beat  anybody  at  our 
Sunday-school  picnic  races,"  he  told 
Taro. 

It  would  be  great  fun,  suggested 
Taro,  if  some  time  they  could  come 
to  Tokio  alone  and  apprentice  them- 
selves to  jinriki-men.  Then  they 
would  learn  to  run!  The  sugges- 
tion thrilled  Billy.  He  saw  in  it 
glowing  possibilities  of  easily 
7 


A     JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

money;  the  opportunity  to  own  a 
jinrikisha  and  learn  to  run  like  the 
wind.  But,  then,  how  would  they 
be  soldiers  ?  Certainly  their  military 
ambitions  came  first. 

At  the  end  of  two  hours'  running 
they  drew  up  before  a  tea-house 
which  stood  within  a  little  park  of  its 
own.  Smiling  and  bowing  the  jin- 
riki-men  suggested  that  their  patrons 
must  be  thirsty,  as  they,  the  runners, 
were.  Would  they  not  condescend 
to  refresh  themselves  with  tea  and 
sweetmeats  ?  The  suggestion  went 
to  the  hearts  of  the  children.  They 
had  no  idea  how  hungry  they  were, 
and  so  "mother"  smilingly  nodded 
to  the  little,  begging  faces.  In  a  few 
moments  they  were  within  the  tea- 
house. At  that  season  of  the  year 
the  tea-house  is  not  well  patronized, 
but  as  it  was  close  to  the  noon  hour, 
a  number  of  Japanese  business-men 


sat  at  the  various  tables  eating  their 
luncheon. 

A  maiden  with  roguish  black  eyes 
came  running  over  to  the  Kurukawas 
to  help  the  children  into  their  seats. 
Her  rosy  mouth  slipped  open  as  she 
saw  that  her  visitors,  despite  their 
dress,  were  not  all  Japanese.  For  a 
moment  she  stood  perfectly  still  s 
ing  at  Marion,  but  when  Mrs.  K 
kawa  addressed  her  she  slipped  to 
her  knees,  bowed  very  deeply,  and 
inquired  what  they  might  command 
her  to  bring. 

All  of  them  wanted  tea  and  sweet- 
meats except  Billy,  who  insisted  upon 
having  a  piece  of  rare  steak  with 
fried  onions.  When  Taro  translated 
this  astonishing  order  the  little  maid 
shook  her  head  and  laughingly  de- 
clared that  they  were  too  poor  a 
house  to  serve  such  extraordinary 
luxuries. 

is  169 


JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


"Well,"  said  Billy,  crossly,  "I'm 
tired  of  rice-cakes  and  sweet  things. 
I  want  something  else.  Do  you  keep 
chop-suey?"  It  was  a  dish  he  liked 
very  much,  having  become  acquaint- 
ed with  it  through  a  Chinese  cook 
lately  employed.  The  little  maid 
thought  she  might  bring  something 
resembling  chop-suey.  So  she  sped 
away  to  fill  the  orders.  Soon  she 
was  back,  followed  by  another  maid 
carrying  the  luncheon  on  black  lac- 
quer *  trays.  The  omelets  ordered 
by  Mrs.  Kurukawa  were  served  in 
the  most  attractive  shapes.  Each 
omelet  was  formed  in  a  different 
pattern,  as  a  chrysanthemum,  a  twig 
of  pine-tree,  a  plum  blossom. 

"They're  too  pretty  to  eat,"  said 
Marion,  looking  with  delight  at  the 
flower  form  before  her. 

Billy's  chop-suey  was  a  chicken- 
stew,  to  which  had  been  added 
170 


"THE  LITTLE  WAITRESS  BROUGHT  HER  SAMISEN  AND  ....  BEGAN 
TO  PLAY  AND  SING  " 


A     JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

mushrooms.  As  they  ate  the  meal 
the  little  waitress  brought  her  sami- 
sen,  and,  running  her  fingers  lightly 
across  it,  she  began  to  first  play  and 
then  to  sing: 

"Oh,  the  soldiers  march  awayj 
See  them  march  away. 
The  maids  at  home  must  stay, 
Hush!  do  not  weep,  but  pray, 

Oh,  the  soldiers  march  away! 

"Oh,  how  long  now  will  they  stay? 
No  one  truth  can  say. 
When  soldiers  march  away, 
List!  often  'tis  for  aye, 

Oh,  the  soldiers  march  away!" 

Her  queer  little  staccato  voice  fell 
mournfully  at  the  end,  and  the  sami- 
sen  concluded  her  song  in  its  lower 
keys. 

Plum  Blossom  tried  to  explain  to 
them  what  it  was  she  sang,  though 
both  Billy  and  Marion  now  partially 
understood  the  language. 
171 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

"The  soldiers  marching  way,  nae- 
ver,  naever  come  bag.  All  maidens 
must  not  cry,  bud  pray  for  them." 

She  threw  a  reproachful  look  at 
Marion,  who  had  wept  so  often. 

"Tell  her  to  sing  something  hap- 
py," said  Billy. 

Mrs.  Kurukawa  addressed  the  girl, 
as  she  spoke  Japanese  with  more 
than  usual  fluency. 

"Whose  songs  do  you  sing?" 

"My  own,  honored  one." 

"You  make  up  your  own  songs?" 

"Yes,  gracious  lady." 

"The  music,  too?" 

"Yes,  augustness.  By  profession 
I  am  a  geisha,  but  since  the  war  our 
business  is  so  poor  we  are  obliged  to 
become  tea- waitresses  also." 

"And  are  geishas  also  poetesses 
and  musicians?" 

"Yes,  gracious  one.  Shall  I  write 
my  honorably  foolish  poetry  for  you, 
172 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 


and  will  you  condescend  to  accept 
it?" 

"I  should  be  delighted.  I  should 
keep  it  always .  But  sing  to  us  again. ' ' 

She  sang  shrilly,  to  the  high  notes 
of  her  samisen: 

"Look!  the  moon  is  peeping, 

Little  maid,  take  care.'  . 
Lovers  trysts  are  keeping, 
Little  maid,  take  care! 


vers  oft  are  weeping, 

Little  maid,  take  care! 

When  the  moon  is  peeping, 

Little  maid,  take  care! 

'Who  is  this  comes  creeping! 

Little  maid,  take  care! 
Hah!  the  moon  still  peeping, 

Little  maid,  take  care! 

'Oh,  the  heart  upleaping! 
Little  maid,  take  care! 
Lovers? — moon  a-peeping! 
No!     It's  brother  there! 
Little  maid,  take  care!" 
173 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

Still  squatting  on  her  heels,  the 
little  geisha-girl  wrote  her  poems  in 
Japanese  characters  for  the  American 
woman.  Then  bowing  very  deeply 
she  presented  them  to  her,  saying 
sweetly : 

"Two  sen,  highness,  one  sen  for 
each  poem." 

Mrs.  Kurukawa  paid  the  price,  and 
laughed  as  she  did  so. 


— i 


IP- 

f\ 


XIX 


THE  tea-house  was  only  a  short 
distance  from  the  shops,  and  the 
runners,  rested  and  refreshed  by 
sake,  drew  them  swiftly  into  the 
heart  of  the  town.  Soon  they  were 
in  a  shop  kept  by  a  tiny  Japanese, 
very  old  and  very  wrinkled,  who 
begged,  as  he  bowed  deeply,  that 
they  would  help  themselves  to  all 
they  saw  in  his  most  insignificant 
shop.  The  'magnificence  of  this  offer,  , 
made  in  intelligible  English,  quite  de- 
lighted  Billy.  He  began  to  have 
visions  of  what  he  would  do  with  his 
twenty  dollars  since  this  Japanese 
was  so  polite  that  he  was  actually 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

offering  to  give  them  the  articles. 
Soon  he  was  undeceived.  In  a  short 
time  the  unwary  children  were  en- 
meshed in  the  wily  bargaining  web 
of  the  shrewd  small  merchant  of 
Tokio. 

Billy  saw  a  flag  which  warmed  his 
heart.  It  was  a  large  Japanese  flag, 
with  the  sun  solidly  embroidered  in 
its  centre.  What  a  gift  to  send  to 
his  father!  In  imagination  he  saw 
the  flag  torn  and  cut  by  bullets.  He 
priced  it.  It  was  ten  dollars.  The 
old  man  insinuated  that  he  might 
take  eight  dollars  for  it.  Billy  shook 
his  head,  swallowing  deep  disap- 
pointment. The  old  man  would  let 
it  go  for  five  dollars.  No  ?  Possibly 
the  young  augustness  was  poor? 
Billy  flushed  proudly  and  dipped 
into  his  sleeve  for  his  money.  Then 
he  said,  sturdily:  "I'll  give  you  a 
dollar  for  it." 

176 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

The  old  man  shrugged,  protested, 
but  finally  rolled  up  the  flag  tenderly 
and  gratefully  took  the  dollar  in  ex- 
change. 

"My  goodness!"  said  Billy,  "are 
there  Jews  in  Japan?" 

"Be  careful,  Billy,"  his  mother 
warned. 

She  herself,  however,  was  feeling 
strangely  drawn  towards  a  certain 
padded  silk  dressing  sack,  heavily 
embroidered  with  chrysanthemums 
of  the  color  most  admired  by  her 
husband.  Unlike  Billy,  she  did  not 
pause  to  bargain.  Her  husband  had 
warned  her:  "The  Japanese  shop- 
keeper will  take  what  he  can  get. 
Set  your  price  and  give  no  more." 

"I'll  give  you  five  dollars  for  that," 
said  she.  Then  she  felt  ashamed  of 
herself  when  he,  with  a  sad  shake  of 
his  head,  began  wrapping  it  up  for 
her. 


T-¥'v2ipKSfflffl  ->v  SoSf 


-  vv:j>» 

;  BLOSSOM 


The  little  girls'  purchases  were 
trifling  but  pretty.  Their  sleeves, 
being  full  of  parcels,  hung  down  on 
either  side  like  heavy  bags.  Billy's 
and  Taro's  purchases,  however,  were 
so  large  that  *there  was  some  ques- 
tion how  they 'were  to  be  carried. 

Three  swords,  an  old  American 
rifle,  and  a  water-pistol  were  among 
Taro's  acquisitions.  Billy  had  his 
.  large  flag,  a  soldier's  uniform,  a 
miniature  cannon,  and  a  folio  of 
bright  pictures  describing  war.  At 
the  last  moment  his  conscience  smote 
him.  Neither  he  nor  Taro  had 
bought  presents  for  the  girls.  Both 
had  been  too  absorbed  in  buying 
things  for  boys.  They  put  their 
heads  together  and  whispered  now. 
Ten  cents  remained  to  each.  Taro 
bought  toothpicks,  cheapest  face- 
powder,  nail  -  polish  and  a  back- 
scratcher, each  article  costing  three 
178 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

cents.  He  grudgingly  gave  up  one 
of  the  articles  he  had  already,  and 
instead  purchased  for  the  mother  a 
pot  of  the  rosiest  paint. 

Billy,  too,  begrudged  the  money 
necessary  to  spend  on  the  girls,  so  he 
was  determined  not  to  part  with  any 
of  his  own  things.  His  gifts  cost  in 
the  neighborhood  of  a  cent  or  two 
cents  each.  For  Marion  he  bought 
one  paper  handkerchief,  for  Plum 
Blossom  a  brass  ring,  for  Iris  a  hat- 
pin, for  Juji  a  bit  of  candy,  and 
for  Norah  tooth-blacking.  This,  he 
thought,  she  could  utilize  for  her 
shoes.  As  the  presents  looked  very 
bright  and  gaudy,  Billy  and  Taro 
felt  that  they  had  done  their  duty, 
and  that  the  girls  ought  to  be  duly 
grateful. 

On  the  way  home  a  shrill  vo 
shouting  in  the  street  was  recogni 
by  the  sharp-eared  Taro. 
i79 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

"The  treasure-ship!"  he  cried,  ex- 
citedly. 

Around  the  corner  came  a  most 
wonderful  cart  piled  high  with  bright- 
ly colored  toys  and  things  dear  to  the 
heart  of  a  child.  Following  the  cart 
was  a  veritable  procession  of  little 
children.  Loudly  the  vendor  shout- 
ed: 

"Otakara!     Otakara!" 

Ambitious  to  imitate  the  com- 
mercial foreigner,  the  treasure- vendor 
had  decided  to  play  this  little  trick 
on  his  fellows.  He  would  not  wait 
till  January  2d,  but  would  appear  on 
the  street  with  his  treasure  cart  thus 
early  in  the  season  when  people  had' 
not  yet  spent  all  their  money. 

The  entreaty  in  the  faces  of  the 
children  Mrs.  Kurukawa  could  not 
resist.  Soon  some  of  the  bright 
things  of  the  treasure  -  cart  were 
transferred  to  the  jinrikishas. 
1 80 

- 


Hfoi£-,<ll  v 

"But,    mind   you,    children/ 
said,  as  they  turned  gleefully  home- 
ward, "I'm  going  to  put  everything 
away  until  Christmas." 


T 


XX 

'HE  following  day  Mrs.  Kurukawa 
yielded  to  the  coaxing  of  the 
children  and  took  them  to  hear  one 
of  the  famous  story-tellers  of  Tokio. 
There  is  not  a  child,  I  believe,  of 
any  nationality,  who  does  not  love  a 
"story."  In  Japan  story- telling  is 
an  actual  profession,  possessing  its 
own  halls  and  houses  of  entertain- 
ment. But  the  audience  is  not  made 
up  of  children.  People  of  all  ages 
attend,  though  the  story-teller  is  not 
as  popular  to-day  as  he  once  was. 
With  eagerness,  then,  the  little  Kuru- 
kawa children,  after  hanging  their 
clogs  among  others,  entered  the  hall. 
182 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

They  were  led  into  a  square  little 
booth  or  box.  In  a  few  minutes  a 
waitress  from  an  adjoining  tea-house 
sold  them  refreshments. 

The  hall  was  dimly  lighted  by 
candles.  As  black  cloths  were 
draped  about  the  stage  the  place  had 
a  gloomy  appearance.  Presently  the 
story-teller  entered  and  seated  him- 
self on  the  raised  dais.  So  horrible 
and  weird  was  his  aspect  that  the 
little  girls  involuntarily  clung  to  one 
another's  hands  and  looked  at  their 
mother  apprehensively.  His  face  and 
bald  head  were  chalky  white.  Seen 
from  the  distance  of  their  box  his 
eyes  were  black  chasms  set  into  his 
white  face.  He  appeared  to  have 
enormous  teeth  which  protruded  as 
long  fangs  beyond  his  lips.  As  he 
seated  himself  on  the  dais  all  the 
candles  in  the  hall  went  out,  seem- 
ingly of  their  own  accord.  Only 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

those  upon  the  stage  remained  burn- 
ing. 

"  Oh,"  said  Marion,  grasping  Taro's 
hand  in  the  darkness,  "he  looks  like 
some  horrible  ghost!" 

"Sh!"  whispered  the  little  Japan- 
ese boy.  "  He's  going  to  tell  a  ghost- 
story." 

"I  thought,"  broke  in  Billy,  "they 
told  war-stories." 

" Sh!  I'll  tell  you  what  he  says,  if 
you  be  quiet." 

"I  don't  want  to  hear,"  said 
Marion,  covering  her  ears  with  her 
hands,  for  at  that  moment  the  deep 
and  hollow  voice  of  the  story-teller 
fell  upon  the  hushed  audience.  He 
was  a  pantomimist  as  well  as  a  story- 
teller. As  both  Billy  and  Marion 
understood  some  Japanese  he  made 
his  story  clear  even  to  them.  As  he 
proceeded  with  his  tale  the  candles 
on  the  stage  gradually  flickered  out, 
184 


until  he  was  in  darkness,  save  for  a 
weird  yellow  glow  surrounding  him. 
Then  it  was  that  the  thrilled  au- 
dience thought  they  saw  strange 
white  shapes  fluttering  about  him, 
first  hovering  over  and  covering  the 
speaker,  then  wandering  about  the 
stage. 

The  tale  he  told  was  an  old  one 
known  to  all  Japanese.  It  was  the 
story  of  the  faithless  husband  who 
swore  to  his  young  and  dying  wife 
that  he  would  never  marry  again. 
Scarcely,  however,  had  she  been  cold 
in  her  grave  before  he  married  a 
young  and  beautiful  girl.  For  many 
nights  the  bride  was  visited  by  a 
wraith  with  warning  to  leave  her 
husband.  She  would  wake  scream- 
ing with  fright,  but  always  her  hus- 
band, lying  there  beside  her,  would 
reassure  her.  Finally  the  ghost  set  a 
day  for  the  bride's  departure,  telling 
13  185 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSC 

SB 

VSm 

it! 


BLOSSOM 

her  that  if  she  did  not  go  on  that 
day  a  terrible  fate  would  befall  her. 
That  night  the  husband  set  a  guard 
of/ twelve  watchmen  in  their  cham- 
ber. When  the  ghostly  visitor  en- 
tered the  room  of  armed  men  they 
fell  dead  at  the  feet  of  the  spirit 
as  it  crossed  the  threshold  and  went 
straight  to  the  bed  where  the  fright- 
ened bride  cowered  close  against  her 
sleeping  lord,  for  although  he  had 
sworn  to  keep  the  watch  with  the 
guards  he  had  yielded  to  irresisti- 
ble slumber.  The  following  morning, 
waking  early,  he  stretched  his  arms 
out  to  enfold  his  bride.  The  form 
he  held  was  stiff  and  cold.  Some- 
thing wet  and  slimy  touched  him. 
As  he  put  out  a  hand  to  caress  her 
hair  he  saw  the  thing  beside  him,  a 
trunk  from  which  the  head  had  been 


away 


jtory-teller  finished  the  re- 
186 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

cital  there  was  a  long  interval  of  ab- 
solute silence  in  the  hall.  Then  out 
of  the  darkness  of  the  stage  a  white 
figure  bore  upon  the  vision.  In  the 
weird  light  that  suddenly  enwrapped 
the  spectre  the  audience  saw  that  it 
held  aloft  the  head  of  a  woman,  the 
long,  black  hair  floating  away  from 
the  deathly  face  as  though  a  wind 
were  blowing  through  the  hall. 

A  stir,  a  shiver  seemed  to  pass  at 
once  over  the  whole  audience.  Then 
— almost  an  unknown  thing  in  Japan 
— a  child's  shrill  voice  startled  the 
silence.  Mrs.  Kurukawa  reached  out 
to  catch  Marion  in  her  arms;  the 
little  girl  had  become  almost  paralyzed 
with  fear.  A  moment  later  the  candles 
were  lighted.  People  looked  at  one 
another  in  the  new  light — everywhere 
faces  were  pale  and  lined  with  fear. 

"Oh,     let's    go    home,"    pleaded 
Marion,  at  which  the  mother  arose. 
187 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

"  No,  no !"  protested  Taro.  "  He'll 
tell  war -tales  now.  We  want  to 
stay." 

"Of  course  we  do,"  cried  Billy. 
"That  old  cry-baby  always  spoils  our 
fun." 

A  smiling  waitress  with  candy 
beans  assured  them  that  the  lights 
would  not  be  turned  out  again,  and 
so  Marion  leaned  against  her  mother 
resignedly. 

"/wasn't  the  only  one  afraid,"  she 
said,  plaintively.  "All  of  you  were, 
even  mother,  weren't  you?" 

"Yes,  I  was,"  she  answered,  truth- 
fully. "I  didn't  know  I  could  feel 
quite  so  shivery  over  a  mere  ghost- 
story." 

"  Don't  they  ever  tell  pretty  fairy- 
stories?"  asked  Marion. 

"No,"  said  Taro,  disgustedly. 
"They  would  have  no  business  then." 

"Story-tellers'  halls,"  said  Billy, 
1 88 


A    JAPANESE    B 


didactically,  "aren't  for  girls.  Girls 
haven't  the  sense  to  enjoy  tragedy." 
They  remained  until  five  o'clock, 
listening  to  exaggerated  accounts  of 
the  war.  Graphic  details  were  re- 
counted of  the  battles.  Many  Jap- 
anese fed  their  imaginations  at  the 
story-teller's  table  after  the  hunger 
left  by  mere  official  accounts  pub- 
lished in  the  newspapers. 


p  ••!•••;  ,      >$ 


:-  - 


XXI 


I^HREE  more  days  the  little  party 
remained  in  Tokio.  Then,  tired 
out,  happy,  and  loaded  down  with 
purchases,  they  returned  to  their 
home.  There  they  found  the  long- 
looked-for  letter  from  the  soldier.  It 
had  come  during  their  absence. 

He  had  not  written  sooner  because 
the  soldiers  had  been  forbidden  to 
write  to  their  families  during  a  cer- 
tain period  of  operations.  He  hoped 
that  his  letter  would  reach  them  in 
time  to  make  their  Christmas  and  New 
Year  season  happy.  His  letter  ran  : 

"As  I  write,  I  am  a  happy  man,  despite 
the  many  things  of  which  I  am  deprived. 
190 


A    JAPANESE 

. 

First,  I  am  a  servant  in  a  glorious  cause. 
Who  could  choose  a  nobler  way  to  die? 
It  is  with  cheerfulness  that  we  soldiers 
bear  the  enforced  hardships.  Indeed,  we 
scarcely  feel  them,  so  buoyed  up  are  we 
by  our  cause.  But  I  have*  still  another 
reason  for  happiness  at  this  time.  I  am 
with  my  boy  Gozo  at  last,  and  if  the 
fates  but  permit,  we  shall  never  separate 
again.  I  have  told  him  about  you  all, 
and  his  letter  to  you  will  reach  you  with 
my  own.  The  experiences  he  has  been 
through  since  leaving  his  father's  home 
have  made  a  man  of  him.  And  it  is  with 
a  man's  deep  understanding  that  he  asks 
your  pardon.  But  he  speaks  for  himself. 
"I  cannot  send  you  gifts  this  year,  my 
children  and  my  wife,  but  my  prayers  and 
blessings  are  for  you  always.  Tell  Billy 
I  cannot  send  him  the  Russian  buttons 
for  which  he  asks.  I  think  he  would  un- 
derstand if  he  were  here.  Let  him  im- 
agine the  kind  of  man  who  would  cut 
away  a  trifling  souvenir  from  the  body  of 
a  dead  enemy.  Tell  the  boys  also  that  I 
do  not  doubt  their  zeal  to  serve  Japan, 
but  that  it  is  not  likely  we  shall  need 
191 


Yt'Tf 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

their  services.  Their  French  friend  had 
better  revise  his  thoughts. 

"I  read  many  times  the  letters  from 
my  little  girls.  Tell  Plum  Blossom  so 
well  have  I  kissed  the  spot  she  indicated 
in  her  letter  that  there  is  a  little  hole 
there  now.  Tell  my/'little  Yankee  girl, 
too,  that  not  only  have  I  lent  her  Bible  to 
Gozo,  but  it  is  the  common  property  of 
the  little  band  of  Christians  in  our  regi- 
ment. There  are  fifteen  of  us  in  all.  It 
will  give  Marion  pleasure  to  know  that 
her  gift  to  me  passes  from  hand  to  hand, 
and  fifteen  loyal  soldiers  of  Ten-shi-sama 
unconsciously  bless  her  each  day  they 
read. 

"Take  care  of  my  house  for  me,  my 
children,  and  my  wife.  Encourage  my 
boys  in  thoughts  of  patriotism.  Remem- 
ber that  always  I  think  of  you,  and  that  is 
happiness  enough." 

The  letter  from  Gozo  was  brief, 
but  his  step-mother  read  it  greedily. 
It  was  written  in  the  English  lan- 
guage. 

192 


XikAL 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

"ESTEEMED  MADAME,  AND  MOTHER-BY- 
LAW,— I  know  not  to  express  myself  good 
in  your  language.  How  I  can  find  words 
begging  your  pardon  ?  Put  my  rudeness 
to  you  down  to  my  ignorance.  I  am  more 
old  to  -  day  and  through  my  honored  fa- 
ther's words  I  am  now  acquainted  with 
your  respected  character.  I  shall  never 
have  pleasure  to  look  upon  your  honor- 
able face,  for  I  have  given  my  insignifi- 
cant life  to  my  Emperor,  yet  I  write  beg- 
ging for  your  affection. 

"Also  I  humbly  asking  that  you  will 
continue  to  show  kindness  to  my  little 
brothers  and  sisters,  whom  though  they 
be  unworthy,  I  am  very  sick  to  see. 
Sometimes  I  think  all  night  long  of  that 
little  Juji  brother.  Pray  excuse  each 
foolish  emotion.  I  beg  remain, 

"Your  filial  step-son  forever, 

"KURUKAWA    GOZO." 


y-v^7]N 

T^HE  country  was  ringing  with  the 
1  hateful  news  of  the  Kamrahn  Bay 
incident.  When  a  French  name  was 
mentioned,  Japanese  faces  looked 
dark  and  bitter.  Foreigners  in  Japan 
talked  more  about  the  matter  than 
did  the  Japanese  themselves,  how- 
ever, for  they  were  silent  and  thought 
much.  Nevertheless,  this  incident 
and  others  pierced  deeply.  Women, 
smiling  strangely,  told  their  little 
sons  the  story,  and  they  repeated 
after  their  mothers  the  words:  "We 
Japanese  never  forget!"  In  the 
higher  classes  of  the  schools  the 
teachers  quietly  instructed  their  pu- 
194 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

pils  of  the  unfriendly  act  of  a 
"friendly"  nation.  The  story-tellers 
in  their  halls  enlarged  upon  the 
theme,  and  told  the  story  over  and 
over  again,  with  greater  exaggera- 
tion each  time.  By-and-by  the  news 
reached  the  ears  of  the  Kurukawa 
family.  Billy  and  Taro  held  a  coun- 
cil of  war. 

"How  to  be  revenged?"  that  was 
the  question. 

They  marched  up  and  down  the 
little  garden-path  discussing  the 
ject  from  every  stand  -  point, 
some  unfortunate  coincidence 
little  French  boy  from  the  neighbor- 
ing street  happened  to  pass  the  Kuru- 
kawa house  at  the  fateful  moment 
when  this  fierce  debate  was  in  prog- 
ress. In  one  of  those  flashes  that 
often  come,  even  to  children,  Billy 
and  Taro  simultaneously  recognized 
in  him  the  object  for  just  vengeance. 


By 
the 


srw. 


APANESE    BLOSSOM 


With  a  bound  Taro  sprang  through 
the  garden-gate  and  seized  the  help- 
less and  unsuspecting  French  boy, 
whom  he  dragged  down  the  path. 
Then  Taro  sat  upon  him.  Billy  was 
jumping  about  wildly,  throwing  out 
his  fists,  and  pretending  to  spit  upon 
them.  Taro,  however,  was  quite 
calm. 

"We  kinnod,"  said  he,  proudly, 
"  both  beat  thad  French  boy.  That's 
nod  fair." 

Billy's  jaw  dropped.  Then  his 
face  brightened. 

"  Say,  Japan  doesn't  want  to  fight 
France  yet.  You  leave  him  to  me. 
They  interfered  in  what  wasn't  their 
affair,  and  now  America's  going  to 
do  the  same." 

Taro  shook  his  head. 

"  You  be  England,"  said  he,  wisely; 
"she  our  honorable  ally." 

"I  am  English,  then,"  shrieked 
196 


n 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 
nbf »/  '^/          S  I/      j/\$    *• 

Billy;  "all  our  people  come  from 
England  originally.  Mamma  said  so. 
Let  him  up." 

Taro  reluctantly  arose,  permitti 
the  crushed  young  Frenchman  to  d 
likewise.  He  was  a  little  fellow, 
though  past  his  fourteenth  year. 
His  eyes  were  very  black  and  fur- 
tive, and  he  had  a  tiny  little  mouth 
that  would  not  keep  closed.  Actual- 
ly his  face  was  smiling.  He  spoke 
Japanese  with  only  slight  hesitancy. 
His  polite  suggestion  was  that  they 
should  go  to  his  father  to  borrow 
swords  with  which  to  fight  a  decent 
duel.  The  boys  received  this  sug- 
gestion with  shouts  of  derision.  Then 
the  little  Frenchman  declared  he 
would  not  fight  at  all,  and  crossing 
his  arms  over  his  chest,  told  them 
they  could  murder  him  if  they  wished. 

Billy    surveyed    him    contemptu- 
ously. 

197 


. 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

"Say,  what's  your  name,  any- 
how?" he  queried,  after  a  moment. 

"  Alphonse  Napoleon  Tascherean." 

"Well,  what  do  you  think  of  that 
Kamrahn  Bay  matter?"  continued 
Billy,  curious  to  know  the  boy's 
views;  but  Alphonse  only  shrugged 
expressive  shoulders  and  smiled  a 
little,  subtle,  sneering  smile. 

"D'ye  remember  how  Taro  licked 
you  last  fall?" 

The  French  boy  turned  darkly  red. 
His  hands  were  in  his  pocket,  and 
one  of  them  suddenly  flashed  out. 
He  had  a  knife. 

"I  no  longer  am  afraid  of  heem," 
he  said,  contemptuously.  "I  will 
cut  him  up — so!  if  he  touch  me  once 
again!" 

"You  will?"  cried  Billy.  "You 
think  we're  afraid  of  your  old  knife  ? 
Get  it,  Taro." 

Taro  did  get  it,  though  he  had  a 
198 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

scratch  on  his  hand  to  show  how 
dangerous  the  undertaking  was. 
Then  the  French  boy's  assured  man- 
ner vanished  as  if  by  magic.  Quite 
piteously  he  began  to  cry.  At  the 
top  of  his  voice  he  shouted  aloud  for 
"Pa-pa!  Pa-pa!" 

"  We're  not  going  to  hurt  you  after 
all,"  said  Billy,  after  a  moment. 
"  We'll  make  you  do  something  you'll 
remember.  Taro,  help  me  tie  his 
hands  first." 

They  secured  him  firmly. 

"Now,"  ordered  Billy,  "you  run 
to  the  house  and  get  that  old  French 
flag  you  and  I  have  been  using  as  a 
mark  for  firing  at  for  some  time,  and 
get  a  Jap  flag,  too." 

Taro  was  gone  but  a  moment,  and 
then  returned  with  the  desired  flags. 
These  Billy  took  and  held  before  the 
French  boy. 

"Now,  you,"  said  he,  "if  you  don' 
199 


A     JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

want  to  stay  tied  up  here  all  night, 
you  just  do  what  we  tell  you.  Kiss 
that  sun  flag — right  in  the  centre. 
That's  the  thing!  What! —  Ah,  you 
will,  you  divil,"  for  the  French  boy 
put  his  lips  against  the  flag  but  a 
second,  and  then  withdrew  them  to 
spit  at  it. 

Taro  had  turned  livid.  In  a  flash 
he  had  seized  the  flag  and  was  ram- 
ming it  fiercely  into  the  mouth  of  the 
French  boy.  Billy  fought  Taro  back. 

"Here,  Taro!  That's  not  fair! 
He's  tied!" 

He  drew  forth  the  flag.  The  dye 
ran  down  in  livid  streams  on  Al- 
phonse's  chin.  He  fought  vainly  to 
free  his  arms. 

"Now,  you,"  said  Billy,  "we'll  let 
you  free  if  you'll  fight  either  one  of 
us  alone.  But  if  you  won't,  you'd 
better  do  what  we  tell  you.  If  you 
don't — " 


KSAW-...1 


A    JAPANESE 

Taro  had  quietly  stripped  himself 
to  the  waist  prepared  for  battle.  He 
was  younger  by  several  years  than 
the  French  boy,  but  the  latter  had 
already  felt  the  taste  of  the  little 
Japanese's  strength.  When  he  en- 
countered that  bloody  purpose  in 
eye  of  Taro  he  trembled  visibly. 

"I  will  do  what  you  ask,"  he  d 
cided,  suddenly. 

"Good!"    cried    Billy.     "  You 
lieve  in  spitting,  eh  ?     Well,  now  yo 
just  spit  good  and  plenty  at  that! 
He  thrust  the  French  flag  before 
phonse,    who   spat  at  his   country's 
flag.     Then  shrugging  his  shoulders, 
he    swore    as    little    boys    of    some 
nationalities  do  not. 

Fifteen  times  he  was  forced  to  bow 
to  the  Japanese  flag,  touching  each 
time  the  ground  with  his  head. 
Finally  he  cried  as  instructed  at  the 
top  of  his  voice: 

14.  201 


m 


BLOSSOM 


"Vive  la  Nippon!    Banzai!" 

He  went  home  a  very  much  wilted 
and  bedraggled  little  Frenchman,  but 
he-  did  not  tell  his  papa  or  mamma 
of  the  flag  incident. 

When  his  father  read  with  appar- 
ent exultation  further  news  of  Kam- 
rahn  Bay,  Alphonse  raised  his  little 
thin  shoulders  and  eyebrows  to  vent- 
ure the  astonishing  remark: 

"Was  it  wise  of  France,  pa-pa?" 


XXIII 

THERE  came  not  many  letters 
during  the  winter  months  to  the 
little  Kurukawa  family,  but  the  ones 
that  did  come  were  all  the  more 
precious.  Before  the  first  flowers  of 
the  year  had  begun  to  tint  the  plum- 
trees  with  their  pink  beauty,  all 
Japan  knew  that  the  war  would  have 
but  one  ending.  Victory  followed 
victory.  Instances  of  heroism  be- 
came so  frequent  they  could  scarcely 
keep  count  of  them.  People,  smil- 
ing, would  hear  the  tale  of  a  certain 
officer  or  soldier's  self-sacrifice  for  his 
country,  then  they  would  say,  still 
with  that  mysterious  smile  so  com- 
203 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


mon  in  Japan:  "He  has  done  only 
what  any  soldier  of  Japan  would  do." 

The  newspapers,  little,  slim  sheets, 
containing  less  than  a  quarter  of  the 
words  an  American  newspaper  would 
give  to  the  war-story,  seemed  to  drift 
about  the  empire.  Everywhere  they 
were  found,  everywhere  people  car- 
ried them. 

It  was  in  April  that  the  Far  East 
published  a  story  of  a  certain  act 
of  surpassing  heroism  performed  by 
a  Japanese  officer.  Mrs.  Kurukawa 
had  seen  the  head-lines,  and  stopping 
in  the  street  had  bought  the  paper. 
She  read  it  through  slowly,  still 
standing  there  in  the  street.  As  she 
stood,  perfectly  still,  her  white  face 
tense  and  drawn,  curious  passers-by 
stopped  to .  look  at  her,  wondering 
what  it  was  the  foreign  woman 
found  in  the  paper  to  make  her 
look  so  strangely.  It  was  the  act  of 
204 

L? 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 


a  child  which  aroused  her.  Passing, 
he  lightly  pulled  the  sleeve  of  her 
kimono.  She  started  as  if  struck, 
the  paper  fluttered  from  her  hand. 
Mechanically  she  reached  for  it,  but 
a  sudden  wind  caught  it  up  and  blew 
it  hither  and  thither  about  the 
street.  She  stood  there  watching  its 
flight  until  it  had  passed  out  of  sight. 
It  disappeared  utterly.  Surely  it 
had  never  been  at  all,  she  had  not 
really  held  it  in  her  hand  and  read 
the  story  of  her  husband's  terrible 
fate!  Walking  unsteadily  and  blind- 
ly, she  started  down  the  street. 

Madame  Sano  came  swiftly  from 
the  garden-path  to  meet  Tier,  for  the 
news  had  reached  the  house  in  Mrs. 
Kurukawa's  absence. 

Japanese  women  are  not  demon- 
strative, but  they  are  exquisitely 
tender.  The  touch  of  Madame  Sano's 
hands  upon  her  face  was  balm  itself. 
205 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

The  stricken  woman's  features  quiv- 
ered. Sobs  burst  from  her  lips,  and 
in  the  other  woman's  arms  she  wept 
as  though  she  had  found  the  ha- 
ven of  a  mother's  breast.  Without 
speaking,  Madame  Sano  led  her  into 
the  house.  The  children,  a  pitiful, 
frightened  group,  were  in  the  hall, 
waiting  for  her.  Passionately,  Marion 
called  her  mother  by  name,  and 
clung  to  her  a  moment,  but  Madame 
Sano  gently  put  the  little  girl  aside 
and  took  the  mother  to  her  room. 
There  she  induced  her  to  lie  down 
until  she  waited  upon  her,  murmur- 
ing words  in  soothing  Japanese. 
When  the  younger  woman  was  calm- 
er, Madame  Sano  gently  spoke  of  the 
sad  news.  She  said,  in  a  reverent 
voice : 

"  God  is  good,  my  daughter.  How 
gloriously  he  has  rewarded  your  hus- 
band!" 

206 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

The  woman  on  the  bed  did  not  stir 
or  speak.  Madame  Sano  continued: 

"Think  how  many  families  there 
are  in  Japan  whose  men  have  never 
had  the  opportunity  to  give  such  au- 
gust service  to  their  Emperor.  We 
are  fortunate  indeed." 

Mrs.  Kurukawa  covered  her  face 
with  her  hands.  The  tears  came 
slipping  through  them;  helpless,  si- 
lent tears  which  would  not  be  held 
back.  Her  voice  was  choked  but  in- 
expressibly sweet : 

"I  know,"  she  said,  "it  is  all — 
very — glorious — but — I  will  not  give 
up  hope." 

"Hope?"  repeated  Madame  Sano. 
"Our  best  hopes  are  realized,  my' 
daughter.  Kurukawa  Kiyskichi  has 
made  the  supreme  sacrifice.  He  has 
given  his  life  to  his  Emperor  and  to 
his  country." 

Now,  Mrs.  Kurukawa  raised  her- 


PCS 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


self.  Two  spots  of  red  appeared  in 
her  cheeks.  Her  eyes  were  feverish, 
her  nervous  fingers  clasped  each 
other  spasmodically. 

"I  will  tell  you  my  hope  —  my  be- 
lief. I  feel,  in  spite  of  what  we  have 
heard,  that  my  husband  is  not  dead. 
I  feel  it  somehow/  I  cannot  explain. 
Only  this  I  do  know:  he  promised 
he  would  return,  and  he  must!  Oh, 
I  am  sure  he  will!" 

Gently  the  old  woman  spoke, 
smoothing  the  hands  of  the  other 
woman  as  she  did  so. 

"My  child,  he  will  truly  return  to 
you  as  he  has  promised.  All  Jap- 
anese soldiers  expect  to  return  to 
their  wives,  but  in  the  spirit!" 

Mrs.  Kurukawa  drew  her  hands 
passionately  away. 

"That  was  not  his  meaning,"  she 
said. 

Madame  Sano  shook  her  head  sadly. 
208 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


"Ah,  my  child,  be  reconciled  to 
the  august  inevitable." 

There  was  a  smile  upon  the  pale 
lips  of  the  younger  woman. 

"You  do  not  understand  my 
faith/'  she  said,  "and  I  cannot  ex- 
plain it.  When  I  read  that  story  in 
the  street  I  felt  as  if  something  had 
struck  me.  I  tried  to  push  it  from 
me  with  my  hands,  and  I  do  not 
know  how  I  found  my  way  home.  I 
still  feel  as  if  I  had  been  hurt  and 
bruised  in  some,  way,  and  yet  I 
know — I  feel — that  it  is  not  true — 
that  he  is — dead." 

Her  voice  whispered  the  word, 
and  for  a  long  interval  there  was 
silence  in  the  room.  Then  she  said, 
slowly:  "It  is  a  mistake — a  horrible 
mistake.  God  give  us  courage  to 
bear  the  mistake.  But  that  is  all  it 


is.' 


"You  do  not  believe  the  story  of 
209 


" 


BLOSSOM 


your  husband's  magnificent  hero- 
ism?" 

"I  do  believe  it." 

"Then  you-^  must  admit  that  he 
has  passed  away.  Is  it  not  clearly 
stated  that  after  he  had  saved  almost 
the  entire  division  that  was  caught 
in  the  ambush  that  he  himself  was 
struck  down  and  his  body  carried 
away  by  the  Russians,  for  what  pur- 
poses can  only  be  surmised?" 

Mrs.  Kurukawa  was  silent.  After 
a  while  she  arose,  and,  though  her 
hands  were  trembling,  she  dressed 
herself  afresh  with  calmness.  Ma- 
dame Sano  watched  her  in  silence. 

After  a  while  she  asked: 

"You  are  going  out?" 

"Yes,  to  learn  what  I  can.  If 
necessary  I  will  go  again  to  Tokio, 
leaving  the  children  with  you." 

The  old  woman  nodded. 

"They    will    make    an    honorable 

210 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

effort,"  she  said,  "to  obtain  posses- 
sion of  your  husband's  body,  and  he 
will  be  given  an  exalted  funeral. 
'He  died  gloriously  for  Dai  Nippon' 
will  say  all  loyal  Japanese." 

Mrs.  Kurukawa  smiled  wearily. 

"He  is  not  dead,"  she  said.  "Do 
not,  dear  Madame  Sano,  rob  me  of 
my  hope.  I  want  to  be  courageous, 
for  while  I  feel  he  is  not  gone  tru- 
ly from  me,  I  do  not  know  what 
may  have  befallen  him.  It  may  be 
that  he  is  wounded — sick — tortured 
— a  prisoner.  Oh,  I  cannot  bear  to 
think  of  it!" 

"  Better,  my  child,"  urged  the  old 
woman,  gently,  "to  believe  he  is  at 
rest.  Cherish  not  false  hopes.  Ah, 
had  you  been  a  true  daughter  of 
Japan,  you  would  have  looked  for, 
expected,  and  even  bailed  this  be- 
reavement, but — " 

"Do  not  reproach  me,"  cried  Mrs. 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

Kurukawa.  "  My  husband  would  not 
have  done  so.  Oh,  I  have  tried  to 
be  as  he  would  wish  me,  and — and 
— I  feel  that  he  would  have  me  be- 
lieve as  I  do.  I  know  he  will  keep 
his  promised  word.  He  will  return 
to  me." 


TWO  weeks  later  the  mail  for 
Tokio  contained  several  pathetic 
epistles.  Most  of  them  were  written 
in  the  wandering,  crude,  yet  pecul- 
iarly attractive  handwriting  of  little 
children.  Mrs.  Kurukawa  read  them 
over  and  over  again,  crying  softly  as 
she  did  so. 

"DARLING  MAMMA, — Do  please  let  us 
come  to  you  in  Tokio.  You  do  not  know 
how  sad  we  are  without  you.  Little  girls 
have  little  hearts,  but  I  know  that  they 
can  suffer  much,  just  the  same.  Grand- 
mother, too,  is  very  sad,  and  Norah  is 
crying,  'Wirrah,  wirrah,  wirrah!'  all  the 
time',  and,  oh,  mamma,  she  says  she  hears 
the  banshee  every  night  wailing  outside 
213 


A     JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

our  house.  Grandmother  says  it's  only 
that  old  gray  cat  of  Summer's.  You 
probably  remember  her.  But  Norah  says 
it  is  the  banshee,  and  it  means  that  some 
one  in  our  family  is  dead.  Oh,  mamma, 
how  it  made  me  cry!  Grandmother  has 
made  us  all  the  strangest-looking  kimonos. 
They  are  of  black  crepe,  and  I  cannot 
bear  to  put  mine  on.  She  says  that 
black  is  not  the  mourning  color  in  Japan, 
but  we  must  wear  black  in  honor  of  you, 
mamma,  because  black  crepe  is  mourning 
in  America.  So  yesterday  we  all  went  to 
church  in  those  black  kimonos,  and  every- 
body stared  at  us,  and  I  put  my  head 
down  on  the  pew,  and  cried  and  cried. 
Plum  Blossom  and  Iris  also  hid  their 
faces,  and  though  they  say  they  did  not 
cry,  I  think  they  did,  for  their  eyes  were 
all  red.  Everybody  treats  us  as  if  we 
were  great  people.  In  church  they  all 
bowed  so  deeply  to  us  as  we  went  in. 
Sometimes  the  men  we  meet  on  the  street 
will  cheer  when  they  see  us.  Taro  says  it 
is  because  father  did  such  heroic  things. 
Taro  has  no  heart,  I  sometimes  think,  for 
he  seems  to  be  proud  and  happy  that 
214 


ETC 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

father  is  gone,  and  he  says  he  wishes  he 
could  have  the  chance  to  do  what  father 
did.  Billy  is  very  serious  these  days. 
He  thinks  he  ought  to  be  with  you  in 
Tokio,  to  take  care  of  you  and  protect 
you.  Oh,  dear  mamma,  do  let  us  know 
all  the  news  you  hear,  and  if  we  cannot 
come  to  you,  please,  please  come  home  to 
us  soon. 

"Your  affectionate  and  loving, 

"MARION." 

"BELOVED  DAUGHTER-IN-LAW, — I  hope 
that  your  health  is  excellent  and  that  you 
will  return  home  soon.  The  servants 
weep  for  their  okusama  (honorable  lady 
of  the  house).  The  children  are  augustly 
sad  without  you.  Billy  has  lost  his  ap- 
petite for  food.  He  has  the  pale  face  got. 
When  I  request,  'Are  you  ill,  Billy?'  he 
makes  reply,  in  boy  rough  way,  'No,  but 
I  ought  to  be  with  my  mother.'  Marion 
spoils  her  pretty  eyes  with  too  much 
weep.  She  and  Juji  weep  enough  tears 
for  all  the  honorable  family.  Plum  Blos- 
som does  all  your  work  most  neatly,  and 
is  learning  excellently  to  be  a  good  house- 

215 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

keeper.  You  chose  wisely  to  put  her  in 
your  place,  and  she  feels  proudly  your 
august  confidence  in  her.  Iris  assists  her 
in  all  things,  but  neither  does  she  appear 
in  good  health.  She  has  too  much  pale- 
ness in  the  face  also.  Taro  is  a  great 
comfort.  His  father's  heroism  has  in- 
spired him  with  noble  ambitions.  He  is 
a  worthy  son,  though  young.  The  baby 
has  more  words  to  say  each  day.  Yester- 
day she  spoke  of  the  white  moon  which 
appeared  in  the  sky  while  it  was  yet  day 
as  "ball,"  and  she  said,  'It  is  too  high!' 
Those  are  many  words  for  one  so  young. 
She  has  her  august  mother's  eyes. 

"Excellent  daughter-in-law,  I  beseech 
you  to  earnestly  seek  details  concerning 
the  fate  of  our  beloved  Gozo.  It  is  said 
in  some  of  the  papers  that  he  did  accom- 
pany his  father  upon  this  expedition.  I 
entreat  you  to  think  first  of  all  of  your 
august  health  and  happiness.  I  sign  my- 
self, Your  unworthy  mother-in-law, 
"SANO-OTAMA." 

"DEAR  MOTHER, — Since  father  is  dead, 
/  ought  to  take  care  of  you.     I  think 
216 


about  it  all  the  time  and  want  to  come 
you.     I  don't  think  it  right  for  a  woman 
to  be  alone,  and  I  must  come  to  you  at 
once.     Taro  and  I  have  not  felt  like  doing 
anything   lately.     I    don't    know   what's 
the  matter  with  everything.     The  house 
doesn't  seem  the  same  without  you. 
can't   write   much.     I   want   to  be 
you,  mother. 

' '  Your  boy, 

"BlLLY." 


yvu., 


"ESTEEMED  MOTHER, — The  plum-trees 
have  much  buds  again  got  now,  but  very 
sad  they  make  us  this  year.  I  think  only 
of  those  cherry  blossoms  we  did  see  with 
our  honorable  father.  They  are  so  like 
the  plum.  Billy  says  they  make  him 
sick  if  he  look  upon  those  trees.  So  we 
go  not  out  much,  as  it  makes  so  sorrow  in 
the  hearts  to  see  those  same  trees  shine. 

"Earnestly  I  endeavor  to  follow  your 
honorable  counsel  about  the  house,  and  it 
is  unworthily  clean  to  your  honor.  I  am 
become  like  Marion.  Always  my  eyes 
those  tears  in  them  when  I  think  about 
you,  and  several  times  I  make  my  pillow 

is  217 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

^•V-T"~ 

wet.  Therefore  I  praying  until  you 
please  come  home  with  us.  Tha's  very 
sad  that  our  father  die  and  go  way,  but 
tha's  sadder  that  we  lose  our  mother  also. 
"Unworthy  and  insignificant, 

"PLUM  BLOSSOM." 


s; 

preci 

**, 


"DEAR  MAM, — I  thought  I  would  write 
a  letter,  hoping  that  you  are  well,     i 
you  very  much,  mam,  and  i  love  the 
precious  lambs,  both  the  babby  and  Juji, 
mam,  i  cannot  bear  any  longer  so 
much  sorrow,  and  it's  a  letter  to  you  i'm 
writing  to  say  i  must  go  back  to  the  old 
country,    for    i    cannot    bear    so    much 
trouble  and  i  have  heard  the  banshee  cry 
at  night  and  it's  afraid  i  am  that  there's 
death  hovering  about.     Will  you  buy  my 
ticket,  please,  mam?     And  it's  breaking 
my  heart  sure  to  leave  you  and  the  lambs. 
"Respectfully, 

"NORAH    O'MALLEY." 


XXV 

THE  letters  brought  the  mother 
back  to  her  home.  She  had 
altered  strangely  in  the  two  months 
she  had  been  in  the  city.  Always 
slim,  she  seemed  now  a  mere  shadow 
of  a  woman — slight  and  frail  as  if  a 
breath  would  blow  her  away.  But 
the  thin  face  still  retained  its  gentle 
sweetness  of  expression  and  the  ey 
held  that  smile  of  hope. 

The  children  were  glad  to  see  her. 
Laughing  and  crying  they  clung  to 
her. 

"  Why,"  she  said,  as  if  she  had  only 
just  realized  it,  "what  a  lot  there  is 
to  live  for!" 

219 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

"Seven  of  us,  mother,"  said  Mari- 
on; "no,  eight!  —  for  there's  Gozo, 
too." 

She  took  no  one  into  her  confi- 
dence, but  began,  in  secret,  a  corre- 
spondence with  the  Minister  of  War. 
All  of  her  inquiries  were  answered. 
In  Japan  her  husband  had  not  been 
without  high  influence,  and  his  hero- 
ism had  made  his  name  revered  by 
all  Japanese.  Hence  the  requests  of 
his  widow  were  given  the  greatest 
attention.  Soon  they  had  reached 
the  highest  authorities.  Orders  went 
straight  to  the  field  of  action.  At 
last  there  came  a  day  when  she 
knew  that  a  special  search  was  to  be 
made  for  her  husband — dead  or  alive. 

The  Russians  would  tell  if  he  were 
with  them.  If  not,  then,  at  least, 
his  body  must  be  found.  Such  were 
the  orders  issued  from  a  high  place. 

She  was  like  a  flower  opening  to 
220 


A    JAPANESE 

the  sunshine  and  spring  rain.  The 
color  came  back  to  her  pale  cheeks 
and  lips.  Back  also  came  the  light 
of  health  to  her  eyes.  She  moved 
like  a  new  person. 

The  assurance  that  no  stone  would 
be  left  unturned  to  learn  her  hus- 
band's fate,  and  her  strange  faith 
that  he  was  still  alive,  invigorated 
her.  The  change  effected  in  her 
rapidly  spread  to  the  entire  house- 
hold. Gloom  slipped  out  of  the 
door  and  sunshine  ventured  in  with 
summer.  •  And  this  is  as  it  should  be 
in  the  house  of  children. 

While  the  cherry  blossoms  were 
still  flying  like  myriad  pink-and-white 
birds  in  the  skies  and  all  the  mossy 
ground  was  white  with  the  flowery 
carpet  blown  from  the  trees,  the 
family  went  out  once  again  on  a 
flower  picnic. 

In  the  same  little  flowery  gowns, 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

the  sleeve- wings  weighted  with  pe 
they  started  gayly  for  the  picnic 
grounds  where  "father"  had  taken 
them  only  a  year  before.  A  gentle 
melancholy  which  pervaded  even  the 
youngest  of  them,  at  the  memory  of 
that  absent  one,  was  dispersed  with 
the  mother's  thought! 

"Father  would  have  you  happy 
to-day,  children.  This  is  his  day, 
darlings.  So  be  happy." 

And  so  they  were.  They  played 
the  games  popular  in  Japan,  engaged 
in  the  fascinating  sport  of  kite-flying, 
listened  with  eager  ears  to  the  tales 
of  the  grandfather,  and  then,  sleepy, 
homeward  bound  in  their  jinrikishas, 
lazily  attacked  passing  festival-mak- 
ers with  the  petals,  to  be  smothered 
in  turn  with  the  flowery  shower. 

When  they  reached  home  it  was 
gloaming.  Norah  made  the  discovery 
that  most  of  the  children  were  asleep. 

222 


^s=- 

A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 


"Shure,"  said  the  girl,  "they're  all 
babbies,  mam,  just  look  at  the  dar- 
lints,"  and  she  indicated  the  heads  of 
the  three  little  girls  all  resting  asleep 
on  the  back  of  the  seat.  Marion  was 
in  the  middle  with  a  hand  of  each 
step-sister  in  her  own.  Mrs.  Kuru- 
kawa  stood  silently  looking  at  them, 
then  Norah  interrupted  her  thoughts 
again. 

"Did  you  think,  ma'am,  I'd  have 
the  heart  to  leave  them?" 

"I  hoped  not,  Norah,"  she  an- 
swered, gently,  "but  I  know  it  has 
been  hard  for  you,  and  you  are  a 
good  girl." 

She  helped  the  Irish  girl  lift  the 
sleeping  Juji  from  the  carriage.  As 
a  maid  from  the  house  came  to  the 
jinrikisha  Mrs.  Kurukawa  turned  to 
direct  her  to  assist  Norah.  Some- 
thing in  the  girl's  face  startled  her. 
The  usual  impassive  expression  was 
223 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 


gone,  and  in  the  dim  light  of  the 
evening  her  mistress  saw  -the  silent 
tears  rolling  down  her  face. 

"Why  are  you  crying,  Natsu?"  she 
said.  "Are  you  in  trouble?" 

The  girl  shook  her  head. 

"What  is  it?  You  are  unhappy 
about  something." 

Suddenly  tt*e  girl  slipped  to  the 
ground  and  buried  her  face  in  the 
folds  of  her  mistress's  kimono.  Ma- 
dame Sa/io  drew  her  almost  roughly 
away./ 

"What  is  it?"  she  demanded, 
harshly,  in  Japanese.  "It  is  un- 
seemly to  act  so  in  the  okusama's 

jsence.  Keep  your  troubles  for 
your  own  chamber." 

"But  I  have  no  troubles,"  said  the 
girl,  rising  and  wiping  her  eyes  with 
her  sleeves.  "I  w-weep  because  I 
am  happy." 

She  brought  the  last  word  out  with 
224 


AH. 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

such  hysterical  vehemence  that  she 
woke  the  older  sleepers.  They  sat 
up,  looking  about  them,  startled 
from  their  dreams.  But  Mrs.  Kuru- 
kawa  shook  the  girl  by  the  arm. 
Her  voice  was  hoarse. 

"What    is    it,    Natsu?    Tell    me 
quickly!" 

For  answer  the  girl  turned  tow- 
ards the  house  and  pointed  to  the 
silent  figure  standing  there  by  the 
doorway.  Even  in  the  twilight  the 
Japanese  children  knew  him.  They 
jumped  tumblingly  from  the  jin- 
rikishas  and  ran  towards  him,  call 
ing  his  name  aloud : 

"Gozo!    Gozo!    Gozo!" 

Mrs.  Kurakawa  turned  and  blindly 
followed  the  children. 

He  put  the  clinging  children  aside 
from  him  and  advanced  a  step  tow- 
ards her.     Then  suddenly  he  stopped 
short,     standing     uncertainly.     She 
225 


l*€\A 

>  k/r 


JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


spoke  with  a  note  of  irresistible  ap- 
peal in  her  vpice.  of 

"Oh,  you  bring  me  news  of  my 
husband — your  father!"  she  said. 

He  made  a  sort  of  smothered  sound ; 
then,  with  a  movement  strangely  rem- 
iniscent of  his  father,  he  seized  her 
hand  suddenly  in  his  own  and  fell  on 
his  knees  before  her. 

"Good  news  —  for  good  woman!" 
he  said. 

"He  is  alive!"  she  cried. 

"  In  Japan — the  hospital  at  Saseho. 
I  unworthily  brought  him  home 
on—" 

He  noticed  that  her  hand  fell 
feebly  from  his.  Then  he  caught 
her  as  she  reeled.  She  had  fainted. 


HE   SEIZED   HER   HAND   SUDDENLY    IN    HIS    OWN   AND    FELL    ON    HIS 
KNEES    BEFORE   HER" 


XXVI 

HP  HE  following  morning  Mrs.  Kuru- 
1  kawa  was  with  her  husband, 
having  travelled  all  bight,  accom- 
panied by  Gozo.  He  had  known  she 
would  come.  When  she  approached 
his  bed  he  raised  himself  on  his  elbow 
and  greeted  her  cheerily,  with  an  airy 
wave  of  his  arm.  When  she  saw  his 
dear,  familiar  face,  with  the  kindly 
smile  lighting  up  the  features,  she 
rushed  with  an  inward  sob  towards 
him.  She  could  not  speak,  so  deep 
were  the  emotions  that  assailed  her, 
but  she  clung  to  his  hand  as  he  whis- 
pered to  her. 

Later,  when  she  was  calmer,  she 
227 


•*> 


0-^9 


JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

took  the  chair  Gozo  placed  for  her; 
then,  with  broken  sentences,  she 
poured  out  to  her  husband  all  that 
was  in  her  heart. 

The  days  that  followed  were  cheery 
ones  for  the  soldiers  in  Mr.  Kuruka- 
wa's  ward.  His  wife  would  come 
each  day  loaded  with  flowers,  books, 
magazines,  and  food  of  various  sorts. 
She  seemed  to  forget  no  one  in  the 
ward.  Sometimes  her  impatient  and 
selfish  husband  actually  begrudged 
the  little  time  she  spent  away  from 
his  side,  as  she  went  from  cot  to  cot 
with  her  gifts  and  her  words  of  com- 
fort and  praise.  He  would  hold  her 
hand  greedily  when  she  would  come 
to  him  and  say: 

"There!  At  last,  you  have  come. 
Tell  me  everything  now.  Ah!  the 
letters.  Read  them,  please,  at  once." 

They  always  began  the  day  with 
her  reading  of  the  pile  of  letters  that 
228 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSJ 

came  from  the  impatient  children  at 
home. 

Taro  wanted  his  father's  sword 
sent,  unwashed,  by  express.  If  he 
waited  until  they  returned  home  he 
feared  that  some  one  might  steal  the 
precious  weapon  in  the  interval.  Of 
course,  Gozo,  as  the  eldest  son,  was 
rightfully  entitled  to  the  sword,  but 
he  had  a  sword  of  his  own  already, 
and  Taro  had  none.  If  his  father 
would  only  give  him  this  one  he 
would  swear  by  it  to  use  it  only  in 
glorious  service.  Billy,  apparently 
inspired  at  his  step-brother's  request, 
wrote  an  eloquent  plea  for  his  father's 
rifle.  If  his  father  could  spare  his 
uniform,  which  must  be  all  ragged 
and  worn  from  bullet  wounds  and 
blood,  Billy  would  cherish  it  as  his 
choicest  possession.  Marion's  epis- 
tles were  always  blurred  by  tear 
marks.  They  were  sometimes  al- 
229 


y^ 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

most  undecipherable.  Because  the 
invalid  insisted  on  hearing  every 
word  she  had  written,  Mrs.  Kuru- 
kawa  usually  spent  more  time  over 
her  letters  than  any  of  the  other 
children's.  The  little  girl  was  given 
to  dissecting  her  inmost  emotions. 
Her  letters  were  usually  a  recital  of 
how  she  felt  when  she  heard  this  and 
that  about  her  dear,  dear,  dear, 
brave  father,  whom  she  loved  so 
much. 

Plum  Blossom  wrote  pages  of 
flowery  words.  The  father  had  sim- 
ply made  a  bird  of  her,  she  said. 
She  wanted  to  sing  and-  laugh  all  the 
time.  She  had  a  calendar  on  which 
she  chalked  off  each  day  the  date,  so 
she  could  keep  count  of  the  days  un- 
til her  father  would  return.  The 
baby  had  fallen  down  the  stairs,  she 
wrote,  but  the  floor,  fresh  padded 
with  rice-paper,  in  anticipation  of  the 
230 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

return  of  "father,"  was  so  soft  that 
she  only  bounced  when  she  reached 
the  bottom.  When  Norah  had 
picked  her  up  the  baby  had  actually 
laughed,  and  said:  "Coco  faw  down." 
The  baby  could  make  long  sentences 
now.  She  could  even  say  a  prayer 
Marion  had  taught  her,  but  she  was 
very  rude,  and  often  said  "Amen" 
right  in  the  middle. 

There  were  three  soldiers  in  the 
town,  and  everybody  was  making  a 
great  fuss  over  them.  Miss  Summer 
had  said  she  wished  she  could  marry 
one  of  them,  which  showed  she  had 
no  sense,  since  Gozo  already  was  a 
soldier.  Anyhow,  the  soldiers  never 
deigned  to  look  at  little  girls,  and 
they  only  marched  by  the  Kurukawa 
house  because  they  wanted  to  see 
Norah,  who  said  they  were  "small, 
but  grand!" 

Iris's   letters   brimmed   over  wi 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 


the  same  expressions  of  love  and  en- 
treaties for  the  quick  return  of  her 
parents. 

Finally,  there  came  an  extraordi- 
nary little  document  penned  by  Juji. 
It  was  written  in  English,  apparently 
under  the  direction  of  the  faithful 
Norah,  for  at  the  bottom  of  the  sheet 
had  written: 

"  If  you  please,  mam,  it  was  Norah  that 
taught  the  little  lad  to  write  the  beautiful 
letter." 

Beautiful  it  was  to  the  eye  of  the 
fond  father.  Every  letter  was  print- 
ed and  loving  words  misspelled. 
There  were  three  smudges  of  ink  on 
the  page.  One  distinct  little  mark, 
where  a  dirty  little  finger  had  rested 
for  a  moment,  pleased  him. 

"Do  you  know,"  said  Mrs.  Kuru- 
kawa,  very  earnestly,  "I  would  still 
be  in  Tokio  if  it  had  not  been  for 
232 


the  children's  letters.  They 
to  come  in  every  mail — little,  soiled 
epistles  of  love,  all  bearing  their 
childish  pleas  for  mother  to  return. 
Why,  I  could  not  stay  away  from 
them.  They  just  drew  me  back." 

Her  husband  looked  at  her  fondly. 

"What  a  mother  you  are!"  he 
said. 

"  Yes,"  said  she,  "  that's  my  strong- 
est trait — maternity.  I  love  all  chil- 
dren. There's  nothing  sweeter  in  the 
world  than  baby  arms  about  one's 
neck,  baby  voices,  baby  kisses,  baby 
touches.  Oh,  they  are  the  most  pre- 
cious things  in  life!" 

He  looked  a  trifle  injured. 

"  You  think  more  of  babies  than  of 
husbands,  then." 

She  laughed  with  the  tears  in  her 
eyes. 

"Why,   husbands  are  the  biggest 
babies  of  all!"  she  said.     "I've  al- 
16  233 


—  — / 

A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


ways  felt  like  a  mother  to  you,  you 
know." 

"You  have?" 

She  nodded  brightly. 

"Don't  you  know  what  first  ap- 
pealed to  me  in  you?" 

"No." 

"  Well,  it  was  your  utter  loneliness 
in  a  strange  country.  You  seemed 
so  strangely  alone  in  America,  and 
you  wanted  so  much  to  be  friendly. 
I  saw  it  in  your  face." 

"  Yes,  I  did  want  to  be  friendly — 
with  you,"  he  admitted,  gravely. 

"You  did  not  find  it  hard,  did 
you?"  she  asked,  still  smiling. 

"Yes,  I  did." 

"Why,  I  gave  you  every  encour- 
agement." 

"I  know,  but  still  I  could  not 
know  that." 

Gozo  came  into  the  ward,  and, 
joining  them,  tossed  upon  the  bed  a 
234 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

number  of  newspapers  and  periodi- 
cals. 

"What  are  you  talking  about?"  he 
asked,  noting  their  smiling  expres- 
sions. 

Blushing  like  a  girl,  the  wife 
looked  at  her  husband  shyly. 

"We  were  talking  about  our  court- 
ship days,  my  son,"  said  Mr.  Kuru- 
kawa. 

"Ah,"  said  Gozo,  very  seriously, 
"it  makes  one  happy  to  think  of 
those  times,  does  it?" 

"Very,  very  happy,"  said  his  step- 
mother. 

Gozo  sighed. 

"I  cannot  understand  why,"  he 
said,  simply. 


XXVII 

"TJURRY  down  to  Takashima, 
11  Taro,  and  tell  him  he  must 
send  us  without  fail  two  large  cases  of 
the  best  and  brightest  fire-flies.  Now, 
remember,  they  must  be  delivered  by 
to-morrow  morning  at  latest." 

"  Can't  we  bring  them  back,  grand- 
ma?" queried  Taro. 

"No,  oh  no,  you  might  break  the 
netting  and  the  flies  escape.  Where 
isBeely?" 

"Here  I  am,  gam,"  answered  the 
boy  from  his  place  on  the  back 
piazza.  He  was  engaged  in  pasting 
carefully  in  a  scrap  -  book  several 
newspaper  pictures  of  his  step-father. 
236 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


"  Beely,"  said  Madame  Sano,  speak- 
ing now  in  English,  "you  must  go 
down  to  the  river  and  get  all  the 
white  pebbles  and  shells  you  can 
find.  Fill  up  your  sleeves  full." 

"Aw  right,  gam,"  said  the  boy, 
obediently,  though  he  left  his  fasci- 
nating book  reluctantly. 

"What  d'ye  want  with  them, 
gam?" 

"  For  the  flower-beds  I  desire.  You 
would  not  have  them  look  shab- 
by when  your  honorable  father 
comes." 

Billy  sauntered  off  on  his  errand, 
whistling,  overtook  Tarp,  and  they 
raced  down  the  street,  Taro  in  the 
lead. 

"Marion!"  the  grandmother  called 
up  the  little  stairway.  In  answer  to 
the  call  she  came  running. 

"Yes,  gramma." 

"Where's  those  bamboo  palms?" 
237 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

"I'll  get  them.  Do  you  want 
them  now?" 

"Ride  away." 

"All  right." 

Madame  Sano  took  them  from  her 
and  showed  the  little  girl  how  to  dust 
the  eaves  with  them. 

"  Bamboo  means  long  life,"  she  ex- 
plained. "I  always  clean  the  house 
with  them,  and  the  gods  will  deign 
long  life  to  give." 

"The  gods!"  gasped  Marion,  re- 
proachfully. "Oh,  grandmamma!" 

Madame  Sano's  withered  little  face 
turned  rosy.  She  had  been  from 
girlhood  a  Christian,  as  she  was 
proud  to  say. 

"I  speak,  my  child,"  she  explain- 
ed, "only  poetically,  not  religiously." 

"Oh,"  said  Marion,  dubiously; 
then  after  a  moment  of  silent  work 
she  stopped  and  regarded  the  old 
woman  earnestly. 

238 


BLOSSOM 


"  Dear  grandma,  you  aren't  a  hea- 
then, are  you?" 

"Dear  grandma"  grunted,  but 
went  on  with  her  work,  her  little  old 
face  puckered  into  a  rather  disdain- 
ful expression. 

"Are  you,  grandma?"  pleaded 
Marion. 

"Little  girls  make  foolish  ques- 
tion," she  answered  finally,  crossly. 

"Well,  are  you  a  Christian,  dear 
grandma?"  persisted  Marion. 

"Certainly  I  am,"  replied  the  old 
lady,  with  dignity. 

Marion  kissed  her  impulsively, 
whereupon  she  declared  that  the 
little  girl  was  honorably  rude,  and 
no  help  at  all. 

"Join  your  sisters  for  flowers," 
she  ordered. 

"Shall  we  want  so  many  flowers 
for  the  house,  grandma?"  asked 
Marion. 

239 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

"No,  no,  no.  Only  one  small 
bunch  for  house." 

"Then  why—  ?" 

"The  flowers  are  for  the  honorable 
picnic  booth.  It  must  have  plenty." 

"  O — o-h !  Why,  grandma,  it's  just 
covered  heavy  with  wistarias  now — " 

"  Such  a  talk-child !  Hush !  Go  at 
once." 

The  little  ^irl  obeyed  this  time, 
though  she  thrust  a  mischievous  face 
back  between  the  shoji  for  a  moment. 

"Grandma,"  she  called,  "I'm  go- 
ing to  take  a  wagon  along  and  fill  it. 
Will  that  be  enough?" 

"Go,  go,  naughty  one!"  and  the 
naughty  one  fled. 

On  this  day  the  Kurukawa  house 
ed  alive  with  busy  ones.  In 
very  room  some  one  was  moving 
,bout.  Many  of  the  old  servants 
had  been  recalled.  From  the  top  to 
the  bottom  of  the  house  work  was  in 
240 


•'*"-,  -  ~  -  ^  >"  '  i %  \N%V*  c  •*  ~  *  **  *•  I 

~      "  x *         -    * 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

progress.  The  shoji  of  the  entire 
upper  floor  had  been  pushed  aside, 
making  a  sort  of  roofed  pavilion  of 
this  upper  level.  The  little  bal- 
conies were  heaped  with  flowers  and 
green  trailing  vines  were  threaded  in 
and  out  among  the  railings.  The 
long,  bare  expanse  of  exquisite  mat- 
ted floor  needed  no  relief  of  furniture. 
This  cool  interior  was  the  most  at- 
tractive place  imaginable.  From  all 
sides  the  breezes  swept  in,  making 
it  delightfully  cool.  Madame  Sano 
bustled  about  the  place  throwing 
mats  about. 

Here  the  family  would  dine  this 
day.  The  outlook  was  picturesque, 
for  one  could  see  the  blooming  coun- 
try and  the  blue  fields  and  hills,  and 
nestling  in  its  heart  the  little  village. 

This  was  the  floor  on  which  the 
children  slept.  It  was  only  the  work 
of  a  few  minutes  to  slip  the  sliding- 
241 


\  j 

walls  back  into  place  again.  Japan- 
ese beds  need  no  making.  On  the 
second  floor  Madame  Sano  had  been 
most  busy.  flow  the  chamber  of 
the  okusama  shone !  The  long,  white, 
foreign  bed  seemed  not  at  all  out  of 
place  in  the  room.  It  was  the  only 
furniture  Mrs.  Kurukawa  had  brought 
with  her.  She  used  the  little  toilet- 
boxes  of  Japan,  and  there  were  sev- 
eral bamboo  chairs  and  one  small 
rocker  her  husband  had  bought  for 
.er  in  Yokohama. 

The  room  was  sweet  with  the  odor 
of  some  faint  perfume.  Perhaps  it 
was  only  the  sandal -wood  of  the 
toilet  -  boxes,  or  the  odor  of  sweet- 
smelling  incense  which  had  recently 
been  burned  to  purify  the  house. 
There  was  not  a  speck  of  dust  on 
the  floor.  Even  Madame  Sano,  from 
whose  sharp  little  eyes  nothing  seem- 
ed to  escape,  seemed  satisfied  as  she 


242 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

drew  the  sliding-doors  in  place  and 
descended  to  the  lower  floor. 

In  the  guest-room  a  maid  was  pol- 
ishing something  round  and  dark 
golden  in  color.  It  was  very  ancient 
and  beautiful,  an  old  hibachi,  highly 
prized  by  the  master  of  the  house. 
A  serving -boy  stood  waiting  at  the 
tokonoma.  He  handed  Madame  Sano 
reverently  the  things  he  had  brought 
from  the  go-down. 

She  did  not  put  the  kakemona  in 
place,  but  left  it  on  a  stand,  for  there 
was  much  else  to  see  before  she  could 
spare  the  time  for  the  tokonoma,  al- 
ways the  last  and  pleasantest  task. 
Besides,  she  had  promised  Plum  Blos- 
som the  task  of  flower  arrangement 
in  the  ancient  house,  and  the  hanging 
of  the  scroll. 

A  visit  to  the  kitchen  revealed  the 
fact  that  the  cook  and  four  assistants 
were  deep  in  the  preparation  of  a 
243 


meal  which  promised  to  be  perfect  in 
its  excellence. 

Madame  Sano  felt  and  smelled  of 
every  bit  of  fish  and  meat,  of  fruit 
and  vegetable,  to  see  that  everything 
was  fresh.  She  condescended  to 
speak  a  word  of  praise  to  the  cook, 
an  old  man  long  in  the  service  of  the 
family. 

"Choice  marketing  is  an  art,  ex- 
cellent Taguchi.  Worthily  you  ex- 
cel." 

The  cook  bowed  with  the  grace  of 
an  old-time  courtier,  his  face  wreathed 
in  smiles.  Did  the  elderly  grand- 
mother believe  that  the  okusama 
would  deign  to  be  satisfied? 

The  okusama  would  be  honorably 
pleased,  indeed,  Madame  Sano  as- 
sured him.  She  left  the  kitchen 
helpers  in  a  glow,  and  outside  the 
door  listened,  her  old  face  smiling  to 
their  happy  chatter  within. 
244 


JAPANESE 


r 

One  said: 


"Hah!  the  master  always  liked  his 
fish  just  so.  If  I  give  one  more  beat 
to  the  fish  it  will  be  spoiled.  These 
cakes  are  ready  now  for  frying." 

"The  master,"  said  another,  "has 
not  eaten  civilized  food  for  many 
moons.  These  rice -balls  will  water 
his  palate." 

A  woman's  voice  broke  in  shrilly. 

"Okusama  will  ask  for  the  sugar- 
coated  beans  first  of  all.  Look  at 
these,  fresh  as  if  growing.  Think  of 
the  pleasure  of  her  tongue." 

"Talk  less,  work  more,"  came  the 
admonishing  voice  of  the  old  chief 
cook.  For  a  moment  there  was 
silence,  then  a  woman's  voice  broke 
into  song,  and  the  song  she  sang  was 
of  war,  furious,  glorious  war! 


m 


XXVIII 

JUST  before  the  noon  hour  the 
train  bearing  the  Kurukawas  ar- 
rived. They  were  unprepared  for  the 
reception.  The  towns  -  people  had 
gathered  at  the  station.  When  Mr. 
Kurukawa,  pale,  but  able  to  walk 
alone,  appeared  on  the  platform,  a 
murmur  which  rapidly  became  a 
cheer  arose  from  the  crowd.  Old 
friends  and  neighbors  rushed  forward 
to  greet  him.  He  was  overwhelmed 
by  the  storm  of  banzais  and  cheers. 
The  Japanese  people  do  not  often 
give  way  in  this  fashion,  but  in  these 
times  they  let  themselves  loose,  and 
they  shouted  now  with  all  the  pent- 
246 


*t«* 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

up  enthusiasm  of  months.  Their  he- 
roes were  sacred  objects  to  them — 
to  look  at  them  even  was  an  honor. 
How  proud  the  little  town  had  be- 
come! Did  they  not  boast  as  a  citi- 
zen one  of  the  bravest  heroes  of  the 
war?  The  gods  had  singled  them 
out  for  the  peculiar  honor.  Grateful 
and  proud  indeed  they  felt.  Always 
a  modest  man  by  nature,  the  homage 
offered  Mr.  Kurukawa  now  almost 
distressed  him.  Indeed,  his  face 
showed  bewilderment  and  embarrass- 
ment. Respectfully  the  people  per- 
mitted his  son  to  lead  him  to  the 
waiting  jinrikisha.  The  crowds  im- 
peded the  progress  of  the  vehicles, 
which  they  followed  all  the  way 
the  house. 

At  the  house  everything  was  ready 
for  the  reception.  The  children  were 
in  their  gayest  clothes.  All  were  rosy 
with  excitement.  About  them  ev- 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

erything  seemed  to  shine.  Madame 
Sano,  old  as  she  was,  made  quite  a 
picture.  Her  withered  old  cheeks 
were  pink  with  pride. 

They  were  all  waiting  there  in  the 
hall.  Hard  by,  the  servants  in  their 
best  attire  waited  also. 

"It's  after  twelve  already,"  said 
Billy,  consulting  for  the  twentieth  time 
his  Christmas  watch.  "  They're  late." 

"I  hear  sounds,"  said  Taro,  his 
ears  pinched  up  like  a  small  dog's. 

Taro  rushed  to  the  shoji,  and  be- 
fore his  grandmother  could  prevent 
him  he  had  thrust  his  fist  through  the 
beautiful  new  paper  upon  it.  Billy, 
however,  made  a  rush  for  the  door, 
forgetting  in  one  moment  all  the 
grandmother's  injunctions  concern- 
ing the  "dignified  and  most  refined" 
reception  due  at  such  a  time.  Billy's 
departure  seemed  to  affect  the  girls. 
They  looked  at  one  another  in  hesi- 
248 


tation.  Then  almost  with  one  ac- 
cord they  followed  their  brother's 
lead,  dragging  little  Juji  along  with 
them.  Down  the  garden-path  they 
sped,  stocking-footed,  for  they  had 
not  stayed  to  put  on  clogs.  Billy 
and  Taro  pushed  through  the  gate 
ruthlessly.  Down  the  road  they 
dashed.  A  moment  later  they  were 
in  the  midst  of  the  crowd  follow- 
ing and  cheering  their  father.  They 
shouted  as  they  ran  and  waved  their 
arms  wildly  above  their  heads.  Mr. 
Kurukawa  saw  them  while  still  a 
distance  off,  and  suddenly  arose  in 
his  seat.  Unmindful  of  the  crowd, 
he  gave  an  answering  shout  to  the 
boys.  How  he  reached  the  house  he 
never  could  remember.  His  wife 
told  him  afterwards  that  the  children 
seemed  to  fall  upon  him  at  once. 
They  clung  about  his  legs,  his  hands, 
and  his  waist. 

17  249 


ANESE     BLOSSOM 


ice  across  the  threshold,  he  gave 
a  great  sigh.  Then  in  a  voice  which 
went  straight  to  the  very  heart  of  old 
Madame  Sano,  he  said: 

"This  house  seems  to  be  the  most 
beautiful  place  on  earth." 

He  permitted  an  excited,  happy 
maid  to  take  off  his  sandals  and 
bathe  his  feet.  Then  followed  by  the 
happy  ones,  he  ascended  the  stairs  to 
the  upper  floor,  where  the  meal  was 
served.  Never  in  his  life,  he  de- 
clared over  and  over  again,  had  he 
been  so  hungry.  He  ate  everything 
placed  before  him.  When  the  chil- 
dren begged  to  be  told  this  or  that 
about  his  adventures  he  would  an- 
swer: "After  dinner.  Talk,  all  of 
you,  if  you  wish,  but  let  me  eat." 

"I  thought,"  said  Billy,  "that  you 
were  wounded,  and  that  wounded 
men  aren't  allowed  to  eat  so  much." 

"  So  /  thought  in  Saseho,  my  boy. 
250 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 


We  ate  not  much  in  Manchuria,  but 
we  famished  in  the  hospital." 

"Honorable  father,  why  did  you 
not  send  me  that  sword?"  queried 
Taro. 

"  I  had  none  to  send,  my  son.  It 
was  lost." 

"And  the  rifle,  too,  father?"  asked 
Billy. 

"The  rifle,  too." 

"But  what  about  the  uniform?" 

"Well,  it  was,  as  you  thought,  torn 
and  worn  from  service.  The  Rus- 
sians gave  me  a  new  one." 

"What!"  cried  Billy,  in  horror, 
Russian  uniform!" 

Mr.  Kurukawa  smiled. 

"Hardly  that,  my  boy.  You  see 
a  sick  man  on  a  stretcher  usually 
wears  a  —  er  —  nightie  —  isn't  that 
what  they  call  it?" 

"Oh-h!"  said  Taro  and  Billy  both 
together,  apparently  disappointed. 

251 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

"  If  they  put  a  Russian  uniform  on 
me,"  growled  Taro,  "I  would  tear  it 
off!" 

Billy's  eyes  rolled. 

"Hm!  They'd  never  get  one  on 
me!"  said  he. 

"What  did  they  put  on  you, 
Gozo?"  asked  Taro,  turning  to  his 
brother. 

"  Yes, "  added  Billy.  "  You  weren't 
wounded." 

"Neither  was  my  uniform,"  smiled 
Gozo.  "They  permitted  me  to  re- 
tain my  honorable  garment." 

"Huh!  Well,  did  they  torture 
you?" 

"No — oh  no." 

"Not  even  knout  you?" 

"No.  They  were  augustly  kind — 
sometimes." 

"Sometimes!"  repeated  Billy,  ex- 
citedly.    "Then    some    other    times 
they  were  cruel,  huh?" 
252 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSO 


"Not  exactly,  but  —  well,  there 
were  many  things  we  thought  rea- 
sonable to  ask  for,  and  they  did  not 
argee  with  us." 

"What  things?" 

LGozb  looked   at  his   father.     The 
tter,  still  eating,  nodded  to  him  to 
continue. 

"Well,   sometimes  we  begged  for 

""  to  be  sent  to  our  friends." 
"And  they  wouldn't—" 
"  They  would  take  our  letters,  but 
they  did  not  send  them.     Our  peo- 
ple permitted  Russian  prisoners  to 
write  to  their  friends.     Not  always 
were   the    Japanese    allowed    to 

"But  on  the  whole,"  put  in  Mrs. 
Kurukawa,  gently,  "they  treated 
you  kindly,  did  they  not?" 

Gozo's  face  was  inscrutable.  Then 
after  a  slight  silence  he  answered, 
gravely : 

2S3 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

"We  were  prisoners,  madame  — 
mother — not  guests." 

"I  bet  they  herded  you  together 
like  cattle!"  cried  Billy,  indignantly. 

Gozo  and  his  father  exchanged 
smiles. 

"Hardly,"  said  Mr.  Kurukawa. 
"There  were  not  enough  Japanese 
prisoners  to  'herd,'  you  know." 


XXIX 

us  a  story  of  horrible  car- 
nage," said  Billy,  his  freckled 
face  aglow  with  excitement. 

Gozo  took  the  long-stemmed  pipe 
Plum  Blossom  had  filled  for  him  with 
sisterly  solicitude.  Three  or  four  puffs 
only  he  drew,  then  permitted  Iris  in 
turn  the  pleasure  of  refilling  it. 

"You  better  wait  till  father  is 
more  better.  He  kin  tell  better 
story,"  he  said,  gravely. 

"Oh,  you're  a  veteran,  too,"  de- 
clared Billy,  admiringly. 

"And  a  hero!"  added  Marion,  in  an 
awed  voice. 

Gozo  permitted  the  ghost  of  a 
255 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

smile  to  flicker  across  the  tranquillity 
of  his  face.  / 

"In  liddle  while,"  said  Plum  Blos- 
som, smiling  happily,  "father  coming 
down  into  garden.  He'll  tell  story 
then."  / 

"He  naever  tell  story  'bout  his 
own  self,"  said  Taro,  discontentedly. 
"  He  mos'  greatest  hero  of  all.  Tha's 
right,  Gozo?X 

Gozo  nodded  gravely. 

"Mos'  of  all,"  he  agreed. 

"  'Cept  you''  said  Marion,  still  bent 
on  hero  worship. 

Gozo  smiled  in  the  little  girl's  direc- 
tion. His  usually  impassive  face  was 
trangely  winning  when  he  smiled. 
Marion  went  closer  to  him,  and,  tak- 
ing her  hand,  put  it  fondly  against 
his  cheek. 

"You   see,    Gozo,"    she    said,    "I 
used  to  think  about  you  as  a  hero 
even  before  father  went  away." 
256 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

"Yes,"  said  Billy,  disgustedly,  "she 
thinks  you're  a  greater  hero  than  Togo 
even,." 

"But  Miss  Summer — she  say  that 
you  better  have  die,"  put  in  Taro. 

"Yes,"  said  Gozo,  sighing,  "it  was 
my  misfortune  not  to  get  killed." 

"Oh,  don't,  don't!  Just  think 
how  unhappy  we  would  all  have  been 
if  you  had  never  come  home,"  said 
tender-hearted  Marion,  "and  think 
what  you'd  have  missed — never  to 
have  seen  us — mother  and  Billy 
the  baby  and  me." 

Gozo  admitted  that  their  acquain 
ance  certainly  was  worth  living  for. 

"Our  acquaintance!"  said  Marion, 
reproachfully;  "our  love  you  sh 
say.     We  love  you,  Gozo." 

"Then  if  you  love  Gozo  why  you 
nod  waid  upon  him  like  unto  Iris  an' 
me?"  queried  Plum  Blossom.     "See 
how   we   fill    up   thad 
'57 


twenty-one  times,  an'  also  we  bring 
wiz  tea — " 

"An'  also  I  fan  him,"  added  Iris, 
suiting  the  action  to  the  words. 

For  a  moment  Marion  looked  very 
thoughtful. 

"  I  know,"  ^he  said,  "  that  you  love 
him,  too,  but^even  if  I  just  talk  to 
him,  I  can  love  him  just  the  same. 
Can't  I,  Gozo?" 

"Yes,  but  you  only  love  me  for 
mebbe  liddle  w'ile.  Then  soon's  my 
father  come  you  desert  me.  Tha's 
same  thing  with  Plum  Blossom  and 
Iris.  Me?  I  am  grade  hero  when  I 
am  alone,  but  when  my  father  come, 
I  am  jus'  liddle  insignificant  speck — 
nothing!" 

"Oh,  Gozo!" 

"Never  mind,"  he  said,  with  mock 
seriousness.  "Nex'  week  I  goin'  sail 
for  America.  Then,  perhaps,  you 
sorry." 

258 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

The  tears  slipped  from  Marion's 
eyes,  and  she  wiped  them  with  the 
pink  sleeve  of  her  kimono. 

"Take  me  with  you,  dear  Gozo!" 

"An*  me,  also." 

"An*  me,  too,"  cried  the  two  little 
6  girls. 

"Girls,"  said  Billy,  with  contempt, 
4V§!7aren't  allowed  in  colleges.  You 
haven't  any  sense,  Marion!" 

"Well,  b-but  I  could  keep  house 
for  Gozo." 

"A  fine  house  you'd  keep,"  said 
her  brother,  witheringly. 

Marion's  pride  arose.  She  ignored 
Billy  entirely. 

"Gozo,"  she  said,  "mother  let  me 
do  all  kinds  of  work  when  the  ser- 
vants went." 

"Hoom!"  grunted  Billy,  "you  used 
to  play  at  work.  Plum  Blossom  did 
it  all.  If  you  take  any  girl" — he 
spoke  the  word  with  almost  Orien- 
259 


•BB 

Vb'.o 


JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

tal    contempt — "take   Plum    Blos- 
som." / 

The  latter  smiled  gratefully  in  the 
direction  of  her  step-brother. 

"I  goin'  wait  till  you  grow  up, 
Beely.  Then  I  keep  house  for  you." 

"You  gotter  git  marry  with  Taka- 
shima  Ido,"  put  in  Taro. 

"I  nod  got!"  cried  the  little  girl, 
indignantly. 

"You  got!"  persisted  Taro.  "His 
fadder  already  speag  for  you  to  our 
fadder." 

"Tha's  jus'  account  our  fadder  be- 
com'  hero.  He  wan'  be  in  our 
family  also.  But  I  nod  goin'  marry 
thad  boy  all  same.  He  got  a  small- 
pox all  over  his  face." 

"Plenty  husband  got  small-pox, 
said  Taro.  "  He  also  got  lots  money 
Mebbe  one  hundred  dollars." 

Plum  Blossom  pouted. 

"I    goin'    marry    jus'    same    m 
260 


JAPANESE     BLOSSO 


i 


mother.  Me  ?  I  goin'  loave  my  hus- 
band." 

"  What's  all  this  talk  of  husbands  ?" 
queried  a  cheerful  voice. 

Mr.  Kurukawa  seated  himself  among 
the  children.  Plum  Blossom  and  Iris 
found  a  seat,  one  on  each  of  his  knees. 
Between  them  Juji  nestled  against  his 
father's  shoulder.  The  hand  which 
had  rested  so  contentedly  in  Gozo's  a 
moment  since  had  become  a  bit  rest- 
less. Marion,  the  fond,  showed  an 
inclination  again  to  desert;  but  Gozo 
maliciously  held  her  small  hand  tight- 
ly so  that  she  could  not  escape. 

"I  want  to  say  something  to  fa- 
ther," she  said. 

"Say  it  to  me,"  said  Gozo. 

"Yes,  but— " 

"Hah!  Did  I  not  say  so?  Very 
well,  you  love  me  only  sometimes. 
Tha's  not  kind  love." 

She  was  contrite  in  a  moment,  es- 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

saying  to  put  her  hand  back  in  his, 
but  he  waved  it  away  bitterly. 

"No,  no.  Tha's  too  lade.  Never 
mind.  I  know  one  girl  never  leave 
me." 

"You  mean  Summer?" 

"Summer-san.  What  a  beautiful 
name!" 

Marion  turned  her  back  upon  him. 

"Listen,"  he  said  into  her  little 
pink  ear.  "I  go  alone  at  America, 
but  after  four  years  I  come  bag,  an' 
then  I  goin'  tek  to  America  with 
me — " 

"Summer?" 

"No." 

"Me?" 

"  No — nod  exactly. ' ' 

"Then  who,  Gozo?" 

"All  of  you." 

"Oh,  won't  that  be  lovely,"  she 
cried.     "Father,  are  we  all  going  to 
America  in  four  years?" 
262 


A    JAPANESE     BLOSSOM 

He  nodded,  smiling.  "  After  Gozo 
graduates." 

"An'  naever  come  bag  at  Japan?" 
cried  Plum  Blossom,  in  a  most  tragic 
voice. 

"Oh  yes,  it  will  be  only  a  visit, 
perhaps." 

"I  goin'  to  die  ride  away  when  I 
cross  that  west  water,"  averred  the 
little  Japanese  girl. 

"Why,"  grumbled  Billy,  "you  just 
now  promised  you'd  be  my  house- 
keeper." 

"In  Japan,"  said  Plum  Blossom. 

Taro  had  finished  whittling  the 
bamboo  arrow  he  had  been  industri- 
ously fashioning. 

"Pleese,  my  father,  tell  now  thad 
story  of  yourself." 

"Yes?" 

"Oh  do." 

All  of  the  children  chorussed  assent, 
well.  Now  it's  a  long,  lo: 


A    JAPANESE    BLOSSOM 

story,  and  if  any  of  you  go  to 
in  the  telling — " 

"Oh,  how  could  we?"  breathed 
Marion. 

"Very  well,  then.  Come  close,  all 
of  you." 

They  drew  in  about  him,  their 
small,  eager  faces  entranced  at  once. 
He  smiled  about  the  circle,  touched 
a  little  head  here  and  there,  and  then 
began  his  tale: 

"  Once  upon  a  time — " 


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Los  Angeles 

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